


Hard Rain

by AwatereJones



Series: Torchwwod Style Movie re-writes [22]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe, Drama, F/M, Gen, M/M, hard rain the movie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-03
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:55:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 19,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23466499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AwatereJones/pseuds/AwatereJones
Summary: OK another movie from my personal faves list, Hard Rain. Let's see how we go with a floodig town, an Armoured Vehicle Heist and two handsome men dancing around one another shall we? Alt verson .. of course LOL Love my crumbly xxx
Relationships: Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones
Series: Torchwwod Style Movie re-writes [22]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/267442
Comments: 25
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

Hard rain falls from low grey clouds. Down below we see the river. Muddy, slow and powerful, overflowing its banks. In the near distance is the reservoir filled to the maximum, water thundering out of two open gates.

There's a Dam Control Office in the middle of the dam.

We see "NO FEAR" spelled out in stones on one man's roof as the small town of Devils Pitt sits precariously in the looming shadow of the dam.

Storefronts are sandbagged and closed. A sign on one store reads: GONE FISHING. A sign on another: HEY LOOTER. NOTHING OF VALUE HERE. TRY NEXT DOOR. And on the next store: HE'S LYING.

A Church. Beautiful, old, ringed with a five-foot-high wall of sandbags. The floodwater is up to the first level of sandbags.

Cars and pick-up trucks loaded down, are heading out of town on streets covered in the first water of the flood.

On an island in the middle of the street. It's Civil War-era, of a general on a horse, sword held high. The floodwater is over the curb, lapping at the base of statue's pedestal. Near the statue stands the Sheriff. 50s, with soft edges and friendly eyes. He's talking into his radio Sean. "So, are we all going to die?"

Wilbur, the dam control officer, is on the radio with the Sheriff. "Not right now. But I'm gonna have to let out a little more."

Andy and Gwen, two deputies, 30s, are near the Sheriff, shoring up a sandbag wall that has partially collapsed.

"I think my best was when I turned twelve. My Dad set up a treasure hunt. It was really cool." Gwen gushes, then frowns at Andy's disdainful look "Well, it was."

Andy shrugs a "whatever" and pulls a sandbag up out of the water. There's unpleasant-looking muck all over his arms. He drops the sandbag back into the water and shakes off the crud with disgust. "This blows."

"My most awful birthday was sweet sixteen. I had mono. How about you? What was your worst?" Gwen asks as she straightens up and eases her back.

"You kidding?" Andy snorts "You think I could've possibly had a birthday worse than this? What kind of loser do you think I am?"

"Don't answer that, Gwen." The Sheriff walks over. "Wilbur says he's gonna open another gate. We're gonna get another rise."

They turn at the sound of honking. The Mayor drives up. "Gentlemen, Gwen. Hey - happy birthday, Andy."

Andy nods. Gwen stiffens. They do not like this guy.

"Sean, I gotta say, what you're doing..." the Mayor is addressing the Sheriff "I don't know if I'd be here."

"Well, you would be if you wanted to get the last couple of pay checks some bastard owed you." Sean replies with a grin.

"I just want you to know I think the people 'round here made a big mistake." The Mayor nods sadly and Gwen looks away with anger.

Gwen grumbles to herself. "You say "The people"? You're the one who screwed him."

"Sorry, Gwen?" the Mayor leans out the car window and Gwen is shocked that he almost heard her.

"I, uh .."

"You know, Bob, as much as I'd love to stand here all day talking about how great I am, if you don't get moving I'm gonna have to haul your sorry ass off to jail." Sean saves her and she rolls her eyes at him.

"Okay, okay, I'm going. Keep up the good work, boys. It's appreciated." The Mayor rolls up his window and heads off.

"Whaddya say we go torch the fucker's house and blame it on looters." Andy says in a dreamy voice "Or how about we put a dead cow in his living room. He comes back after it's been in the water a couple of days. Hello!"

"You wanna know how to get the best revenge on the Mayor and his boys? You do exactly what we're doing. You protect the town. You protect it better than they would. Better than they ever could." Sean sighs as he looks back at Andy.

Andy thinks, shrugs "I think the dead cow's better."

"Any looter that comes in here is in for a big surprise, cause as long as I'm still wearing this pointy thing..." Sean indicates at his badge "...nobody's taking anything from this town."

.

.

.

Nervous assistant bank manager Carrington is hurriedly tossing stacks of money into two canvas bags.

A man's shadow looms up on Carrington.

"Do you think you could go a little faster, pal?"

"I - I'm going as fast as I can." He whimpers, glancing back at the man waiting. A second shadow comes up and another voice chimes in.

"Well, it's not fast enough."

Carrington is about to speak, then sees something, gulps. A shotgun os held by one of the men, pointed at the floor. He sweeps the money off the shelves and into the bags.

"That it?"

"Yes. We don't keep any of our …"

Ignoring Carrington, the two men grab the canvas bags and stride off.

The front doors of the bank groan as they fly open. The two men exit in long dark raincoats.

Carrington runs up, stopping in the open door. "Hey, wait!"

As they slowly turn to face Carrington. We just see their faces, shielded from the rain by hat brims. Meet... Jack, 30, handsome, with an easy smile. Archie, 50, with a tough, red face.

"Excuse me?" Archie asks.

Carrington looks nervous for a second, then holds up a clipboard. "You forgot to sign."

We see, for the first time, by their hats and uniforms, that they are armoured car drivers. There's an armoured car parked at the curb, on the other side of a low wall of sandbags.

Archie sighs, goes back to Carrington and perfunctorily signs the form. Then he and Jack go to the sandbag wall. Jack holds both bags in one hand and the shotgun in the other. Archie doesn't want to get wet. He steps from the sandbag wall onto the rear bumper of the truck, then keys open the doors.

"Okay." Archie reaches out for the money bags. Jack jumps off the sandbag wall and lands in the water, splashing Archie.

"For Christsakes!" Archie splutters but Jack is unrepentant.

"It's a flood, Archie. You're gonna get wet." Jack laughs as Archie takes the bags, tosses them in then shuts the back. He moves toward the front, still trying to keep out of the water. Jack splashes him some more.

"Hey! Do you know what kind of crap is in that water?" Archie roars.

Jack grins; of course he knows "Well, yeah."

Jack kicks some more water at Archie. Archie gives Jack a withering look and climbs in the truck.

Archie gets into the driver's seat; Jack climbs into the shotgun seat. They shut and bolt the doors. Archie gets on the radio. "Dispatch, this is 13."

" _Go ahead, 13."_

"We're leaving Devil's Pit. We'll be back in an hour." Archie says with obvious relief.

" _Ten-four. Get out of there."_

"We're gone. Over and out." Archie hangs up the radio. He starts writing on a clipboard. Silence for a few moments, and then Archie notices Jack staring at him.

"What?"

"Your ear."Jack pulls a face.

"What about my ear?"

"You've got a major hair growth going on." Jack informs him with a serious face.

"Shut up."

"I'm serious. You're gonna need somebody to go in there with a weed whacker."

Archie grabs a donut bag off the seat and tosses it to Jack. "Here."

"You're offering me one of your donuts?" Jack gasps with glee "I don't know what to say. I'm getting all misty."

"If it'll shut your mouth you can have the whole bag."

Archie starts the truck. Jack thinks about it, then tosses the bag back. "Nah. I start eating donuts and I'll never get out of this truck."

Archie is disgusted "I love how you think you're better than this."

"Don't get me wrong, Archie. There's a lot to like about this job" Jack holds his hands up "and I don't just mean the dashing polyester ensemble and the solid three-figure income."

"You ungrateful shit! I don't believe you!"

Jack is surprised by his partner's unusual anger "Archie, relax! I was kidding!"

"You don't wanna do this?"Archie sneers "Fine. Go back to selling hot Terra-forming construction machinery. That's a helluva career."

"It had better hours." Jack can't help it.

Archie slams the clipboard down on the seat. "You think this is a joke? This is funny? Jesus Christ! You know how lucky you are you could get in here? Thirty years old and all the crap you pulled and you never got caught?"

Jack is angry now "That wasn't luck, old man. That was skill. I was good at it."

"Oh, yeah, it takes a lot of skill to fence dozers. That's goddamn genius time." Archie grumbles and Jack is again surprised as his usually friendly partner shows a darker side.

"About as much skill as it takes to sit in a truck and get fat eating donuts." Jack shoots back.

"Oh, so that's all I've been doing, huh? Just wasting my life away." Archie huffs.

"I didn't say that."

"Yeah, building a home, raising a family … that's just stupid." Archie is pissed and Jack does not know why. Usually they have friendly banter and this is both unexpected and unwelcome on an already shitty day.

"I didn't say that!" Jack is snarling as well.

"You know what, Jack? I really don't give a shit what you said."

Jack doesn't reply. Archie puts the truck in gear; starts off. Jack looks at Archie, shakes his head - what was that about?


	2. the waiting game

**ROADSIDE BAR - DUSK**

Writing letters in a crossword puzzle. Holding the pen is Meryl Late 50s, with a creased face and piercing eyes. He's sitting at the bar, drinking coffee. Rain sheets down outside. The bartender watches TV, sound off. Next to Meryl at the bar are ...Dean, 40s, has lank hair, rheumy eyes and a glass of Irish whisky in front of him. Eugene, 20s, long hair, has the energy of a puppy - unfortunately he has about as much smarts as a puppy. Mr. Mehlor. 40s, looks like - and was - a high school teacher.

On the TV with the sound off, a man is crying about what he has lost in the flood.

"Thus sayith the Lord; Behold, waters shall rise up out of the north and be an overflowing flood and all the inhabitants of the land shall howl." Jeremiah 47:2." Dean takes a drink.

Eugene leans over to Dean, "You're gonna be able to buy a helluva lot of bibles, huh, Dean? Me? First thing I'm gonna do is get my brother a lawyer. Best that money can buy."

A thought comes to Meryl - an answer to a clue in the crossword - and he starts filling in words as Dean and Eugene talk.

"What's he facing?" Dean asks.

"Thirty in."

"He cap a cop or something...?" Dean gapes.

Eugene grimaces as he answers "Security guard. "In the commission... All he's got is a piece of shit P.D. Now I'm gonna be able to afford him a good lawyer - a guy with a haircut."

Meryl leans over to Eugene. "'Scuse me a second. Take a look at thirty-one across."

Meryl slides the newspaper in front of Eugene.

"Shit, Meryl. I don't do crossword puzzles." Eugene snorts.

"I'll take a look, Meryl." Mr Mehlor offers.

"Eugene can read."Meryl says in a deep tone of warning "write down a word and suddenly it looks all wrong? Maybe it's right, but it doesn't look right?"

Meryl points at the newspaper. "Thirty-one across."

Eugene shrugs and looks down at the newspaper. He mumbles as he reads "Mention money again and..."

His eyes go wide. In an uncompleted part of the puzzle, Meryl has written a message in the boxes. It reads: MENTION MONEY AND I'LL KILL **YOU.**

Eugene looks up at Meryl. Meryl glances over at the bartender then back at Eugene. Understand? "Did I get it right?"

"Yeah, Meryl. You got it right."

.

.

.

.

**ARMORED TRUCK - DUSK**

Archie and Jack continue to drive in silence. They both sneak looks at each other. Their eyes meet for a second, then they look away. A moment's pause then...

"Jerk." Jack mutters.

"Jack-ass."

A hint of a smile on both of them. Jack reaches for Archie. "Give us a kiss. Come on.

Archie goes red in the face, pushes Jack away. "Get out of here."

Jack laughs, "You really are a cranky old fart, you know that?"

"I'm sorry."

"What was that about?" Jack asks "I mean, I'm just sitting here and all of a sudden you go postal on me."

Archie shrugs "I don't know, I... It's just this weather. I... I want to get back."

"You know, I really do appreciate what you've done for me. This is a good job." Jack assures him.

"No, it's not. It stinks." Archie laughs and seems to let go of whatever is giving him the blues "It's putting your life on the line for someone else's money."

.

.

.

Looking away from town, the High School is on the left. On the right is the Cemetery. Farther on, on the left, is a Car And Boat Dealership. The road is covered in water.

.

.

.

The armoured truck goes by the entrance to the high school, water shooting up from the wheels, pushing out in a wide wake.

Jack glances ahead and sees that the road is covered in water. "Jesus. Where's the road?"

Stretching out ahead of them are reflector bars on the telephone poles, a few feet above the rippling surface of the floodwater.

"It's there." Archie strains to see "Somewhere. I hope (beat) Look, Jack, I don't care what it is you end up doing."

"Oh, God, here we go again." Jack frowns.

"This is the last time, I swear." Archie mutters strangely.

Jack sees something ahead. He doesn't understand at first. The reflector bar on the pole two poles ahead is lower than the others. No reflector bars for a hundred yards, then they resume.

Archie looks at Jack "I just think, whatever it is you do, it's time you did some heavy lifting."

Jack figures out what's going on with the reflector bars. "Stop!"

"No, you gotta hear this." Archie argues as he looks over at Jack "You're better than …"

"Stop the truck! We're going down!"

The water rises fast up the grille as the truck angles down.

"Jesus!" Archie stands on the brakes.

A wave of water rushes forward from the truck, then comes back and washes over the hood, splashing up on the windshield.

"Back up!" Jack demands, his hands on the dash.

Archie throws the truck into reverse but gives it too much power. They hear the rear wheels spinning underwater. Archie eases off, the tires start to catch, they start moving backwards.

Archie and Jack exchange a quick look of relief... and then the engine dies. Archie tries to restart it, but there's nothing. It's stopped on a downgrade - it's a dip in the road.

The water is up to the top of the front tires: up to the hubcaps on the rear wheels. The headlights are underwater, spots of yellow glowing. They've stopped next to a lighted sign.

**WELCOME TO DEVIL'S PIT.**

**HOME OF THE 1987 STATE CHAMPION WARRIORS.**

"Goddammit!" Archie roars.

"It's a little dip in the road or something. You can see the reflectors come up the other side." Jack points.

Archie curses to himself "I knew this would happen."

"I'll see if there's anyone coming. Maybe we can get pulled out." Jack opens the door.

Archie adjusts the radio frequency selection button; clicks on. "Dispatch, this is 13. 13 calling dispatch."

" _13, this is dispatch."_

"Dispatch, we're stuck outside of Devil's Pit. Truck's dead."

" _Where are you?"_

We're on 213, headed for the Interstate. Right by a sign saying "Welcome to Devil's Pit."

Jack climbs out and up on top of the truck. In one direction, nothing but blackness. The other way he can see the lights of the town. But there are no cars coming.

Archie looks over as Jack appears, upside-down, in the doorway. "The town's been evacuated. We won't get any help from there."

"Dispatch can't get anyone out." Archie informs him and Jack gapes.

Jack slowly asks "They are aware we're carrying a shitload of money...?"

"They called the National Guard." Archie assures him as he leans back and stretches his back "They're gonna be here in about ninety minutes."

"Ninety minutes? Jesus." Jack huffs.

Archie nods, then speaks into radio "Dispatch, we're gonna need help a little sooner than …"

There's a sudden sparking sound and the radio cuts out and interior lights and the headlights go out.

"Oh, shit." Jack sighs.


	3. ambush

Looking out as the Sheriff's car rolls past on the water-covered street. A Hand lets go of a curtain and it swings across the window.

The Sheriff motions Andy to stop the car, then he grabs the radio Sean and clicks it on as a megaphone. "Clyde, I saw you. Come on out."

No one comes out of the house.

"Clyde, I'm not leaving until you come out."

A few moments pass and then Clyde and Francine Jones both in their late 70s, step out onto their porch.

"Jesus H. Christ, Clyde, I told you to stay away from the damn window." Francine snarls.

The sheriff gets out of the car."What are you still doing here?"

"We're just …" Clyde starts to speak but his wife cut him off with her angry retort.

"We're setting traps."

"That's illegal, Francine." The sheriff sighs softly.

"You gonna arrest us, Sheriff? Hell, are you even sheriff anymore, Sheriff? Didn't you lose an election? I sure as hell know I didn't vote for you Sean, and neither did Clyde." Francine snarls.

"Francine..." Clyde groans at his wife with the long suffering grimace of a husband.

"You don't need to set traps." The Sheriff scolded.

"That's what they said in '73. When we got back, anything the bastards didn't steal they broke, just for the hell of it." She bristled.

"That's not happening this time."

"Damn right it's not." She nodded vigorously.

The Sheriff sighed "You can't stay, you know that."

"We're going to my sister's." Clyde interjected, cutting off his wife as she opened her mouth to have another go.

"Good."

"Soon as we finish setting the traps." She finishes with a sniff of defiance.

The Sheriff wants to say something more, but he's not about to argue with Francine. He just nods and gets back into the car.

The Sheriff climbs back in. He and Andy watch Clyde and Francine go back into the house, Francine still nagging at Clyde.

"God'll understand if you have to drown her in the basement, Clyde." The Sheriff sighs, nods to Andy. Andy puts the car in gear.

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

The water is creeping up the sloping hood of the truck. Archie mutters "We gotta get out of here."

"What about the money?" Jack asks with surprise.

"The money's safe; we're not. Water rose about a foot in the last twenty minutes. The National Guard isn't going to be here for another hour. You do the math." Archie is already puling at his jacket.

Jack shrugs - Archie's right. They're about to get out when

light washes up on them. They look out to see...the headlights of a GMC Suburban Approaching on the other side of the dip, a quarter-mile away. Archie and Jack look at each other then get out of the truck.

The Suburban stops on the far side of the dip - a hundred yards away. The headlights shine across the water. Doors open and men get out.

Jack and Archie come around the front of the truck. They can't see through

the glare of the Suburban's bright headlights.

"Hello!" Archie shouts.

" _You okay? You stuck?" a man's voice calls out._

"Yes!" Archie seems relieved as he glances at Jack.

" _We'll see if we can get you out! We'll be right over!"_

Archie looks at Jack, and says "Looks like we might just…"

The Suburban headlights go on high beam.

Archie and Jack squint, blinded by the high beams as Jack asks "Why'd they do that?"

"Probably so they can see better." Archie replies with a frown like Jack is being thick.

"Or so we can't see at all."

Archie looks at him - what does he mean? Jack puts his hand on his pistol.

In the water the men assembled by the Suburban are all holding guns. The boss speaks to them quietly.

This is my retirement fund, boys, and if any one of you screws up, I swear to God I'll kill you. Let's go." Meryl motions and they start wading down into the dip in the road. Eugene carries a rifle.

Jack squints through the bright light.

"Company dispatch and the National Guard are the only ones who know we're here." Archie tries to soothe him.

"Anyone with a scanner from Radio Shack could've intercepted your call, Archie."

Archie realizes he is right "Jesus."

Jack calls out to Meryl and men "Could you turn down your lights?!"

" _We're bringing a rope!"_

"Turn down your lights!" Jack repeats.

" _We'll be right there!"_

Jack starts to pull his gun. Eugene is fired up on adrenalin. He has his rifle up and is aiming it. He sees Jack with his hand on his pistol, starting to pull it out. Archie sees Jack going for his gun. He moves close to Jack, half in front of him, putting his hand on Jack's. "Take it easy, Jack."

Eugene stiffens. His finger squeezes the trigger of his rifle.

Jack jumps at the sound of the rifle crack.

Archie is knocked back.

Jack yanks out his gun and starts shooting back.

Meryl and his men duck down in the water.

Jack is shooting blindly, looks over and sees...Archie with a horrible look on his face, blood coming out of his neck. He sinks into the water.

Eugene shoots off another few quick rounds.

Jack drops into the water, bullets plugging in around him. Just his hand and pistol are visible, shooting blindly back toward Meryl and his men. The Suburban is hit by Jack's fire.

Jack runs out of bullets. A beat later we see Archie start moving through the water - Jack is pulling him.

" **STOP SHOOTING!"** Meryl screams with horror.

Eugene doesn't hear Meryl and keeps firing.

Meryl aims his pistol at Eugene's head. "Stop."

Eugene stops.

Jack comes up in the water behind the truck, gasping, holding Archie. Jack rests his gun on the truck bumper.

"I'm sorry, Jack." Archie gurgles and Jack holds him close.

Archie's gone.

Meryl glares at Eugene, his eyes on fire.

"He was going for his gun!" Eugene whines.

"He wasn't gonna shoot, Eugene. Goddamn it!" Meryl shakes head, calls to Jack "We just want the money! Get away and we won't have to kill you!"

Jack shuts his eyes, thinking, scared.

"Now!"

Jack opens his eyes. He looks down at Archie floating in the water. What the hell is he going to do?

Meryl's men look at him. Meryl motions them to wait some more.

"You got thirty seconds to get the hell away!" Meryl and the others wait, but there's no answer from Jack. "The clock's running! Go!"

Still no response from Jack.

All they can see is the front of the truck, in the light of the "Welcome" sign. They can't see the back.

Meryl nods to his men. They head for the truck, down into the deeper water at the bottom of the dip in the road. All have guns up and ready.

Meryl sends Mr. Mehlor and Dean out to circle around. They all move quietly. The only sound is the rain.

Meryl gets to the truck and moves along its side, Eugene right behind him. Meryl gets to the back of the truck, nods for Eugene to cover him, then steps out behind the truck, gun up.

Jack is gone.

Archie is floating in the water, eyes of glass.

Eugene, Mr Mehlor and Dean Step into the circle of light thrown by the "Welcome" sign.

Meryl eyes Archie "Ah, Jesus. Your dad'd be real proud of you, Eugene."

"He was going for his gun!" Eugene whines.

Meryl ignores the fool "Mr. Mehlor, I believe we're gonna need your science project."

Mr. Mehlor nods and digs into his pack. Dean looks down at Archie in the water. "I shall bring floodwaters upon the earth to destroy all that lives under the heavens and every creature that has the breath of life in it shall perish." Genesis 6:17."

"Were you a preacher or something?" Eugene asks. Dean laughs.

Mt. Mehlor replies for Dean "Dean did five years in the hole at Joliet. The only thing you get to read in the hole is the Bible."

Eugene says to Dean "You got religion?"

"Obviously." Gives a droll reply.

Mr. Mehlor laughs as he pulls something out of his pack. It's a half-stick of dynamite with a timer, mounted on a magnet.

"When you hit the switch you've got thirty seconds." Mehlor says with excitement.

"You teach your students how to make things like that?" Eugene asks.

Mr. Mehlor puts the device on the back door. "You been to a high school recently, Dean? My students taught me how to make things like that. Ready?"

Hold on." Meryl says. Something's wrong. Meryl touches the handle on the door. It moves. Uh-oh. He raises his pistol, grabs the door handle and pulls. The door swings open. We don't need to see what he sees - we can tell from the expression on his face.

It's clearly empty.


	4. run rabbit

Jack is running hard through the knee-deep water, pulling a string of canvas money bags buckled together. The truck and "Welcome" sign are two hundred yards behind him. Jack hears an angry yell.

Eugene is the one yelling.

"Shut up. Everyone." Meryl demands.

They quiet. The patter of the rain is too loud - they can't hear anything. Meryl scans the horizon, but sees nothing.

"Now why'd he have to go and do a thing like that?" Dean sighs.

"To stay alive." Meryl says, then sees their confusion so explains "He thinks we'll kill him - unless he knows where the money is and we don't."

"There is another possibility." Mr. Mehlor argues "He's thinking of keeping it for himself."

"Meryl nods "There's always that. Either way, we got ourselves a sharp one."

"What do we do?" Eugene asks.

Meryl is looking at something in the distance. "Pretty soon the water'll be too deep for him to run. But for us it'll be just deep enough."

It's unclear to Eugene who asks "Deep enough for what?"

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

A glass window is smashed and water floods into the boat showroom. Meryl and his men stride in. Eugene ogles a particularly nice cruiser. Meryl stops at a smallish ski-boat. "Here we go."

Eugene points to a cruiser "What about this monster?"

Meryl points to the ski-boat "This is all we need."

"Shit, Meryl, we're stealing. Can't we take anything we want?" Dena asks.

"The water isn't very deep yet. We Need something with a low draft." Meryl is trying got remain civil "Mr. Mehlor - find us some gasoline."

Mr. Mehlor heads off.

Eugene sees something else he likes. We don't see what it is. "Oh, Meryl...?"

.

.

.

.

The name WILLIAM PORTMAN is chiselled into a crypt. Jack appears from underwater, gasping for breath. He gets to his feet and trudges off through the water.

Jack comes out through the gates of the cemetery, splashing through the knee-deep water. He's running when he hears, from behind him, boat engines firing up. He turns to see...Lights racing toward him over the water, a hundred and fifty yards back.

Jack sprints off.

Meryl is steering the ski-boat. Mr. Mellor hunkers down beside him.

Flanking the ski-boat, are the jet skis piloted by Eugene and Dean.

Jack is running as fast as he can. He looks back, sees the ski-boat and jet-skis closing. They'll get him before he gets to town. He suddenly veers off the road towards the High School the sign out front reads: GO WARRIORS!

Jack runs around the side of the high school.

Meryl and his men ride up on the ski-boat and jet-skis and round the corner.

No sign of Jack.

Cut your engines!" Meryl orders.

The engines are shut down. They all drift. Meryl shines a flashlight over onto the windows. There's a hole in a window large enough to climb through. Jack wades through the classroom, pushing floating desks aside. Flashlight beams stab into the room. Jack hurries to the hall.

Meryl turns to his men. "Let's get him out. But for Godsake, whatever you do...with a hard look at Eugene)...don't kill him. Not until we find out where he hid that money."

Jack makes his way past banks of lockers, trying to get as far as he can from the probing flashlight beams.

Eugene drifts up to the front doors. He pulls on them. Locked.

"Mr. Mehlor?" Meryl asks,

Mr Mehlor reaches into his pack.

Jack tries lockers, looking for a place to hide.

Eugene rides his jet-ski fast away from the front doors and the doors explode.

Jack ducks down as a fireball shoots over him.

Eugene and Dean ride the jet-skis into the flooded school.

Underwater Jack is swimming as hard as he can, out of breath. Eugene and Dean go off down a hall while Eugene idles in the lobby.

Jack surfaces, gasping.

Eugene hears the gasp, turns, grinning as he shouts "Enemy sub off the port bow!"

Jack gets to his feet runs as fast as he can down the hall. He rounds a corner and keeps going.

Eugene guns his engine and takes off after Jack.

Jack runs another thirty feet, then trips on something and goes down.

Eugene comes around the corner, grinning when he sees Jack halfway down the hall, standing frozen, caught in Eugene's light.

Eugene guns it, racing forward down the hall toward Jack. "Full steam ahead!"

He hits something underwater and stops. Eugene keeps going. He flies through the air, slams headfirst into a trophy case and drops into the water.

Jack stands up - he was kneeling. "Low tide, sailor."

A handrail on the wall, angles down into the water. Underwater there are a couple of steps leading up to a change in level in the hall - that's what the jet-ski grounded on.

Dean motors down the hallway toward the corner. "Eugene?"

Around the corner comes a jet-ski. Dean assumes its Eugene.

"See him?" Dean calls out, then the jet-ski speeds up and shoots by him. Dean sees its Jack wearing Eugene's hat and jacket.

Dean gives chase.

Dean races after Jack along the flooded hallways, taking the turns fast. Dean pulls a gun, starts shooting.

Tearing through the halls, flashlight lighting the way. Bullets hit the walls, ceiling, and water around him. Jack comes around a corner, sees the open front doors ahead of him.

Meryl and Mr. Mehlor come into view in the ski-boat, blocking the exit.

Jack turns hard and speeds down a side hall.

A wall of windows at the end. No way out. Trapped. Then...Eugene rises out of the water, blood running down his face, pistol up.

Jack looks back.

Dean is on his tail.

Jack makes his choice and guns the jet-ski straight at Eugene.

"Yee-hah!" Jack yells as Eugene fires, misses and is knocked to the side as Jack hunches down on the jet-ski and crashes through the windows.

Meryl and Mr. Mehlor are moving right outside the windows just as Jack blasts out of the school and races off into the dark.

Jack moves fast over the water. He yanks off his clip-on tie.

They chase Jack's light, behind by fifty yards, heading out into farm fields. They get closer and closer and then watch as... Jack's Jet-ski runs straight into a tree and explodes.

They race up to find the burning, flaming wreckage of the jet-ski. Dean circles on the other jet-ski. Eugene, still bleeding from the head, is in the boat with Meryl and Mr. Mehlor.

Laughing, Eugene calls out "Nice driving, butt wipe!"

"I'm glad you're enjoying this, Eugene, but if he's dead, how do we find the money?" Meryl asks.

Eugene reacts "oh, right."

"Oh, he's still alive." We see what Meryl sees.

Jack used his tie to wrap the throttle open.

Jack is a hundred yards away hiding in the branches of a floating tree, watching the distant lights of Meryl and his men. The current carries Jack away.

Meryl scans the horizon; sees nothing. "Dean, I'm in need of a little inspiration."

"With a raging flood he makes an end of those who oppose him, and pursues

his enemies into darkness." From one of the more obscure…"

Eugene cuts him off "Sorry to interrupt Bible study and all, but has no one but me noticed how completely screwed we are? We should be back in the motel room, counting out the money. Instead…"

Meryl lashes out with a fist, hard and fast, hitting Eugene in the chest, knocking him out of the ski-boat, into the water. Eugene comes up in the thigh-deep water, sputtering.

"No one likes this particular turn of events, Eugene, but we have a choice - we can either deal with it or we can walk away. There's a lot of money out there, so I choose to deal with it. If you want to go, that's fine - start swimming. You want to stay, that's fine, too - just stop your damn whining." Meryl pushes the throttle forward and the ski-boat takes off, leaving Dean on the jet-ski, with Eugene in the water.

Eugene whines "What the hell's his problem? All the money in the world ain't worth a goddamn nickel if you get caught. It's not like there won't be other jobs."

"You may have more of these in you, Eugene, but Meryl doesn't." Dean pulls Eugene up onto the jet-ski and takes off after Meryl.

.

.

.

I am sorry that this posted origoinlly as CJ Verse Part 3. This is clearly a Movie rewrite and I am annoyed that my system is being a tool about it. However... gong over my old files (those expensive retrieved ones) I find I had started part 3 way back when so I shall do some more and tweak some more and maybe soon there WILL be a part 3 for you in the CJ verse.


	5. Ianto

**BACK OF CHURCH - SANDBAG WALL**

The water level is creeping up a five-foot-high wall of sandbags. Looking out over the top of the sandbag wall. A tree floats by on the water. Hands Suddenly appear on the top of the wall and... Jack pulls himself into view. He climbs over the wall, exhausted.

Gasoline-powered pumps are sucking up any rainwater. The sandbags have kept the floodwater at bay.

Jack hurries up the back steps and goes into the church. Jack walks through a small room lined with closed cupboards. He goes through a door.

Jack comes out into the altar. He looks around, impressed. It's a beautiful church. Scaffolding goes up one wall - the church is being restored. Jack is startled by a sound from above. He grabs a heavy silver candlestick as a weapon and looks up to see...birdsFluttering up in the rafters.

Takes a breath. Just as he relaxes, he hears a whooshing sound from behind him and turns to see...A LARGE CRUCIFIX Being swung at his head.

Thunk and...

..

.

.

.

.

.

**SHERIFF'S STATION**

Jack slowly regains consciousness, blinking his eyes. He hears..."What are you doing here?"

But the Sheriff isn't asking Jack, he's asking...Ianto Jones, 26, dapper, even in head-to-toe rain gear.

"I was setting up pumps." Ianto frowns.

"I sure as hell don't get what you see in that church." Andy shakes his head.

"I wouldn't expect you to, Andy."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Andy frowns.

"Ianto, did you think the order was for everyone but you to evacuate?" the Sherriff asks.

Ianto snarks "I was gonna go as soon as I filled the pumps, but the next thing I know, I've got a looter on my hands. Now, maybe I'm crazy, but I was expecting a little gratitude?"

"I think it's great what you did." Gwen gushes.

That's it, Gwen. That'll finally get you into his pants."

"Shut up."

"What if he'd had a gun, Ianto?" the Sheriff demands "A lot of these looters carry guns."

"I'm not a looter." Jack sits up on a cot, behind bars in the holding cell, woozy.

.

.

.

.

Meryl and his men are searching the school for the money.

Dean complains "Meryl, it could be anywhere. It might not even be in the school."

"Keep looking." Meryl demands.

The rain sheets down hard. A lightning flash reveals...The water is up to the horse's knees. The lightning passes and a second later thunder rolls.

.

.

.

**SHERIFF'S STATION**

The Sheriff, Gwen, Andy and Ianto stand outside the cell.

Jack is inside, on the cot. He touches the cut on his forehead.

"What were you doing at the church?" Andy asks.

"I told you - he was looting it." Ianto says with exasperation.

"I just said I'm not a looter! You're the one who nailed me?" Jack says and Ianto nods as Jack grimaces "You got a better arm than my ex-wife. What the hell did you hit me with - a statue? I saw a flash of some guy coming at me."

"It was a crucifix." Ianto mumbles, embarrassed to the others "It was the only thing there!"

"Oh, great." Jack huffs "Now I'm gonna have people coming from around the world to see the face of Jesus on my forehead."

"Look, son, what were you doing in the church?" the Sherriff asks.

"Looking for a place to hide out."

"From who - Swamp Thing?" Andy laughs.

"The bastards who killed my partner" Jack snarls.

That stops the room.

Jack continues "We were driving an armoured truck. The truck got stuck out past the high school. They must've picked up our call to dispatch, 'cause they knew where we were. Archie and I were just standing there and all hell broke loose."

"How much money did you have?" the Sheriff asks.

"A little over three million."

They all exchange a look - that's a lot of money.

"The bank was afraid of looters. They had us cleaning out their branches up and down the river." Jack explains.

"They stole three million dollars?" Andy gaped.

"No, I don't think so." The sheriff leans forward in his chair. They all look at the Sheriff. He looks at Jack. "You took the money, didn't you."

Jack nods "I hid it in the cemetery. Tied it to a crypt for a guy named Portman."

"What the hell'd you do that for?" Andy snorts.

"I don't like to carry around that much cash." Jack deadpans.

"Jesus, Andy, use your head. If he hadn't hidden it, they woulda killed him, too." The Sheriff looks at Jack - is that it? Jack nods. "You got any ID?"

"No, it was in my jacket and I…"

"Colour me surprised." Andy scoffs.

The Sheriff thinks for a beat, then tosses some keys to Gwen. "Get out two rifles and a shotgun."

Gwen nods and goes to it. The Sheriff opens a desk drawer, pulls out an ankle holster.

"You believe him?" Andy is shocked.

"Well, yes, Andy, I do. And even if I didn't, I'd say we sure as hell had an obligation to check it out, don't you think?" The Sheriff starts strapping on the ankle holster.

Jack stands "I'll go with you. I can show you where …"

"No, I think you better stay put. But that was …" th sherrif starts to speak but Andy cuts him off.

"Yeah, all we need is an armoured car guy helping us out." Andy laughs.

The Sheriff thwacks Andy in the ear.

"Ow!"

"Andy, what's the worst that's ever happened to you? When old Mrs. Dugan went after you with a knife? This guy just got shot at!" he dismisses Andy; to Jack "Smart move with the money."

Gwen comes over with the guns.

The Sheriff says to Gwen "Andy and I'll check out the cemetery. You escort Slugger..." nods at Ianto "...out of town. Get him to some high ground, and then come on back."

The Sheriff jams a small pistol into his ankle holster.

"I have to fill the pumps…" Ianto argues.

Pulling him out the Sheriff growls "Not any more you don't."

The Sheriff straightens up, grabs a rifle from Gwen and pulls Ianto to the door. Andy goes to Jack's cell door and pulls it shut with a click. "Andy..."

"He could still be lying!" Andy frowns.

The Sheriff rolls his eyes and gestures for Andy to come along. He opens the door for Ianto, Andy and Gwen to go through.

Jack calls out "Sheriff - they killed my partner without any warning."

"And they're gonna regret that, I guarantee you. They're gonna regret

coming anywhere near this town tonight." And out he goes.

Water is halfway up the four-foot high wall of sandbags around the station. There are three outboard motorboats moored to the sandbags.

"Gwen, take Ianto's boat."The Sheriff and Andy climb toward their boats.

"You can do it, Gwen. The men of Devil's Pit are counting on you." Andy quips.

"Just bite me." Gwen grumbles as she clambers into the tin boat.

Andy laughs as he and the Sheriff fire up their boat engines.

Jack hears boat engines start up and move away. He lays back down on the cot, listening to the rain.

**.**

**.**

**.**

**DAM CONTROL OFFICE**

Empty. Light comes out from under the door to the bathroom.

Wilbur is on the can reading a copy of "American Survivalist" magazine. An odd reaction comes over his face. He feels something weird. He looks down.

Water is seeping in under the door.

"Holy shit!"

The bathroom door flies open and Wilbur waddles out, pants around his feet. He shuffles fast to the control wheels and starts spinning them.

Two gates open fast, all the way, and water thunders out.

Wilbur pulls up his pants as he gets on the radio. "Sheriff! Sheriff!"

The Sheriff and Andy are motoring in their boats, zooming through the trees, engine noise obliterating anything coming in over the radio.

On the radio Wilbur is yelling "Sheriff, come in!"

**.**

**.**

**.**

Gwen steers Ianto's small boat down Main Street, past the statue. The water is up to the rider's stirrups.

Ianto is pleading "Did you see the stained glass windows, Gwen? Did you see what a good job they did? I can't let anything happen to the church, not after all I've put into it."

Gwen does not care "Ianto, you know I'd do anything for you, but the Sheriff told me to get you out of town. I'm sorry. It's for your own good."

Ianto stands up.

"What're you doing?" Gwen asks.

"If you're not going to take me back to the church, then I'll swim." Ianto moves to get out of the boat.

"No. Hey, hold on."

Gwen lets go of the throttle and stands, moving toward Ianto.

"What am I saying?" Ianto suddenly turns on Gwen and pushes her out of the boat."This is my boat. You swim."

Ianto guns the engine and shoots off down a side street.

Gwen stands in the waist-deep water and watches him go, flabbergasted.


	6. sunday drive

Ianto comes around a corner and drives his boat up to the church. The water is swirling quietly, still a good three feet below the top of the wall.

The lighted "Welcome to Devil's Pit" sign out by the main road starts to flicker. There's a rushing sound and a two-foot-high wall of water hits the sign. The lights explode in geysers of sparks and the water rushes on.

The Sheriff and Andy are racing through a grove of half-submerged trees. There's a rushing sound above the sound of the engines. WHAM! and they're hit by the wall of water. Andy falls out of his boat and is lost in the swirling water.

Meryl and his men are motoring down an alleyway when...the wall of water **r** ushes down the alley. The water hits Dean hard, knocking him off the jet-ski. He's swept away by the water.

The surge water shoots through a wire fence. And suddenly there's...Dean slammed up against the fence, pinned to it, water rushing over and around and by him. He yells as the wire cuts into him.

Ianto is at the church pouring gasoline into the pumps. He hears the rushing and looks up as the surge hits. Water shoots over the top.

In the Sheriff Station Jack hears the sound and opens his eyes - what the hell is that? The wall of water slams in hard outside, cascading over the sandbag wall.

Jack sits up and swings his feet over the side of the cot, looks donw with horror. There's two feet of water in the station.

The building is like a rock in a stream, with the water rushing up high against one wall, roiling and swirling around the sides.

Jack looks over, stunned, to see... THE DOOR as a fine stream spits in through the keyhole.

The windows are heaving as the water rises up against them.

Gets to his feet, woozy and goes to get out of the cell. He remembers - uh-oh: the cell door is locked.

.

.

.

.

Meryl pulls Dean, coughing, choking, bleeding, into the ski-boat.

**.**

**.**

**.**

In the station the water level inside is rising fast. It hits the wall sockets and there's a spit of sparks, then all the desk lamps go dark. Light still comes from overhead fluorescent panels.

Jack sees two keys on a key ring laying on the Sheriff's wooden desk. They're four feet away - too far to reach.

**.**

**.**

**.**

Ianto suddenly has a horrible thought and stops. He shakes it off - doesn't want to think about it - and mutters to himself. "They'll get him out."

.

.

.

Gwen is clinging to the statue as the water surges by below her.

.

.

.

Andy gets back into his boat. The Sheriff realizes something.

"Andy... You locked him in."

.

.

.

Jack looks through the cell bars at wooden chairs bobbing in the water. The Sheriff's desk lifts up, starts floating. Jack gets an idea. He takes his belt off.

Outside a telephone pole is half-submerged, being pulled along fast by the current.

Jack holds one end of the belt and tosses the rest of it at the desk bobbing in the rising water. He misses the keys.

Jack tries again. The belt lands on the desk top.

Jack very gently starts pulling. Too hard; the belt starts slipping off the desk. He gets it just right and the desk starts moving toward Jack. He reaches out with his hand, stretching.

His fingers touch the top of the desk, start pulling it toward him, and he just gets a firm grip on the desk when...the telephone pole smashes into a window, bending in the bars on the window, shattering the glass, letting a torrent of water into the room.

The desk is moved by the rush of water, but not before Jack grabs the keys and grips them tight. He tries the keys in the lock. They don't fit. He looks at them.

The tag is emblazoned with the Ford logo.

"Great! I can drive out of here!"Jack tosses the keys into the water and looks around at the water level rising very fast. A foot in ten seconds.

He climbs up the cell bars, the water rising with him. He's running out of room between himself and the ceiling. Three feet. Two feet. He's being pushed up by the water toward the fluorescent light fixture on the ceiling, caged in a wire cover.

He is terrified, about to die. The water rises up past his face.

Jack's hands pull his Maglite flashlight from his belt. He takes off the lens and the battery cap, then shakes the batteries out. Sticks the flashlight tube up through the wire grate over the light fixture.

He blows out the water - like clearing a snorkel - then breathes. Reprieve for a few moments and then... the water reaches the top of the flashlight tube and starts to trickle in when the light goes dark. In the darkness, there's the sound of tubes breaking and metal being wrenched.

Looks up, astonished, to see...the fixture being lifted up and away from above. Streetlight comes in, silhouetting...a figure standing on the roof. The figure leans down and starts tugging at the wire cage over the inside of the fixture. In the light, Jack sees that it's Ianto and he's pulling as hard as he can, but the wire cage isn't budging. He pulls out a Swiss Army knife, unfolds a small knife and starts taking out the screws holding the cage in place. He gets two screws out.

Jack pulls on the cage and it swings down. He climbs up it.

Jack surfaces in a hole in the roof. There's a vent duct lying on the roof - Ianto must've kicked that over to get to the light fixture. Ianto helps Jack up. Ianto sits and Jack lays down on the roof, catching his breath.

"Thank you."

"I owed you - for hitting you and all. But we're even now, okay?" Ianto shrugs.

"Even." Jack chokes then after a beat, looks around "What happened?"

"I don't know."

They get up.

"Maybe another levee broke upriver. They've been …" Ianto says but is cit off a just then...A propane tank explodes. The fireball rips across the dark sky, illuminating everything, showing...Fifty feet away - Meryl, Mr. Mehlor and Dean in the ski-boat and Eugene on the jet-ski - guns aimed at Jack and Ianto.

"Oh, God." Jack groans.

Darkness as the lightning passes, and in the darkness, the thunder rolls.

Meryl and his men switch on their lights and move forward. They pass cars floating down the street with other debris. The cars have been damaged by the flood - one is missing a door.

When they get closer to the Sheriff's station, what they see …or don't see … makes them stop.

Jack and Ianto have disappeared. Ianto's boat is still moored to the Sheriff's station roof, empty.

Meryl shouts "They're in the water! Eugene, cut your engine!"

Eugene shuts off the engine of the one remaining jet-ski. Meryl shuts down the boat engine. They float in silence, scanning the water with their flashlights. There's no sign of Jack and Ianto.

Underwater, Jack motions Ianto to follow him. He is freaked and hesitates. Jack grabs his hand and pulls him.

The ski-boat and jet-ski are right above them, flashlights playing over the water.

Meryl and his men reach the roof of the Sheriff's station. Meryl looks around. "Eugene, go that way. We'll go down here."

Eugene and Meryl head off in different directions.

Jack and Ianto rise into view in a car. They gasp for air and keep low.

"Tell them where the money is." Ianto hisses.

"I can't."

"Well, I can." Ianto is about to call out. Jack grabs his hard.

"If they know where the money is, they will kill us."

Before Ianto can say anything, a flashlight beam comes swinging toward them and they have to duck underwater. Watches as his flashlight beam washes over the car. Nothing there. He guns his engine and heads off down the street.

The car floats off around a corner. Jack and Ianto surface inside the car, catch their breath. Quiet for a few moments as they both look around to see that Meryl and his men are gone.

"So what do we do?" Ianto is calm at least.

"I guess just drive around until we run out of gas." Jack quips grabbing the steering wheel.

Ianto is pissed now "Look, I've spent the last eight months of my life restoring that church and I just left it to come save your arse, so spare me, okay?"

"When we get down here a little further we'll find a place for you to hide. I'm gonna get back to the truck and wait for the National Guard." Jack soothes as he checks his watch "They should be there pretty soon."

Ianto nods. Jack looks at him. He's shivering.

"Cold?"

"No, I'm fine. The heater just kicked in."

Jack looks at him, gives a little grin. Their eyes meet for a second, and then they look away.

God, and that accent?


	7. A shocker

Gwen climbs up onto the roof of the Sheriff's Station, exhausted. She sees the hole in the roof and goes to look at it. As she's looking down...

"Is he dead?" Sean calls out.

Gwen turns to see the Sheriff and Andy coasting up in their boats. "No. Someone got him out."

"Who?"

Gwen hesitates then guesses "Maybe Ianto."

"Ianto? How could he get him out?" Sean snorted "You took him out of town."

"I - It …"

"Let's hear it, Gwen."

"It happened real fast, okay?"

.

.

.

.

Jack and Ianto float down the alley in the car.

"You ever been robbed before?" Ianto asks to try and take their minds of the mind-numbingly cold water.

"No. The scariest thing that ever happened before was Archie running out of donuts." Jack admitted "I've only been doing this for a couple months."

"Oh."Ianto stares at him, that was not what he wanted to hear. Silence for a few moments. Then Ianto asks "What'd you do before this?"

"I, uh... I sold construction machinery." Jack admits and Ianto stares at him so he adds "I was making good money, it just... I don't know. It just didn't seem right for me anymore."

"How'd you end up in this?"

"My uncle did me a favour." Jack says quietly "Got me in."

"Nice favour. How's he gonna feel after tonight?"

"My uncle was Archie - my partner in the truck."

"Oh, God. I'm sorry." Ianto whispers with honest sorrow.

Jack nods - so is he.

.

.

.

.

Gwen climbs into the Sheriff's boat.

"He know karate or something, Gwen?" Andy calls out with glee "Maybe kung fu? I mean, I can't see how else he could overpower the likes of you."

"Shut up, Andy."

"Shut up, both of you. Let's go find Ianto; see if he's got him." The Sheriff fires up his engine and heads off, Andy following.

**.**

**.**

**.**

Ianto and Jack are still in the car. They freeze at the sound of engines in the distance. The sounds fade. Jack looks around. "God, I wonder whose car this is."

Ianto plucks some cassette tapes out of the water. "Well, whoever it is, he listens to Pat Benatar, Eddie Money and the soundtrack to Footloose."

"Really?" Jack looks at tapes, looks around car "Hold on...I think this is my car from high school."

Ianto laughs. Just then...the car gets caught on something and stops.

"Looks like we get out here." Jack sighs and Ianto hesitates "Come on - I told your father I'd have you home by ten."

Ianto grins. Just then a transformer down the street explodes.

They hear a sparking sound and look over to see sparking on a telephone/power pole close to them. Rain hits it, causing the sparking sound. The floodwater is inching up the pole toward it.

The water will reach the transformer in a matter of seconds.

And while they're staring at that another transformer At the end of the street explodes as water hits it.

They look around - what to do? Jack points. "There!"

They climb out of the car and start swimming toward a house.

Water is three inches from the transformer; two inches...they are Swimming as hard as they can.

One inch from the water... they Reach the house. They pull themselves up onto a television antenna/ladder running up the side of the house. Ianto's feet are still in the water.

"Get your feet up!" Jack cries.

The water is about to touch the transformer. There's a sizzling sound.

They heave a huge sigh of relief - but then Jack realizes... "Oh, shit!"

"What?"

"It's metal!" Jack pushes Ianto over onto a window ledge. Then, just as Jack is about to step over... Eugene comes screaming in on the jet-ski. He dives off the jetski, gets a hold of Jack and pulls him under.

They surface. Eugene is stronger as Jack is so spent from the cold water and he has Jack in a tight grip. One problem - Eugene doesn't know the danger they're in.

"We've gotta -!" Jack splutters but Eugene shoves Jack underwater.

" **HEY! I GOT HIM!"**

Jack comes up, looks over at the transformer. The sizzling is getting louder. "We have to -!"

Eugene dunks Jack again.

" **I GOT HIM!"**

Jack grabs Eugene's arms and pulls himself up fast. Jack's head comes out of the water and slams into Eugene's chin. Eugene is stunned. Jack gets free of his grasp.

"Hurry!" Ianto screams.

Jack does the backstroke, pulling hard toward Ianto. Still stunned Eugene, finally hears the sizzling and looks over At the transformer. The water touches the outer casing of the transformer.

He starts swimming fast toward Jack and Ianto. Ianto grabs Jack's arm and Jack gets a hold of the windowsill and pulls himself up.

Eugene grabs onto the antenna … And starts pulling himself out of the water. The Transformer explodes. He feels pretty pleased with himself until... the antenna starts dancing with electricity and... he is hit by the voltage and his teeth clamp shut and his body goes rigid and his clothes explode in flames.

"Look away." Jack says softy to Ianto as they try not to watch.

Dead fish start floating to the surface.

Eugene is fried, smoking. He falls off the TV antenna and hits the water with a loud and ugly hiss. He floats away, his body shaking spasmodically.

Jack hears an engine approaching. He looks around, then smashes the window with his elbow.

The window glass tumbles in. Jack reaches in, undoes the latch and slides up the window. He climbs in, straddling the window sill. Just below Jack's leg ...Laying on the floor, just below the window is a bear trap.

Jack is oblivious. He starts to put his foot down into the trap. Just then he knocks a potted plant off the windowsill. It falls straight down into the trap hitting the trigger. The jaws snap, obliterating the cactus.

"Jesus Christ!" Jack exclaims with shock.

A shotgun barrel snaps into view, pointing right at Jack's head. "You so much as breathe funny and your head is going back out that window without you."

**.**

**.**

**.**

Meryl drives the boat down the street. Mr. Mehlor is scanning the water with a flashlight.

Meryl! Over there!" Mr. Mehlor calls.

Meryl looks over to see...the jet-ski floating in the water. And not far from it is... Eugene is still twitching.

.

.

.

Francine holds the shotgun on Jack and Ianto as they move away from the window, hands raised.

"Real slow now. Like you were in a big jar of molasses. That's it." Francine snarls with obvious excitement.

They hear footsteps coming down old wood stairs. "Francine? You haven't killed anybody, have you?"

"I've got everything under control, Clyde. You go back up."

Clyde enters. "Jesus, Francine, you caught a whole gang."

.

.

.

.

Meryl and Mr. Mehlor pull Eugene into the ski-boat. Eugene is shivering. Part of his hair has been burned away.

"Jesus, God, it hurts!" Eugene whimpers.

Meryl is frantic "You're gonna be okay, Gene. Mr. Mehlor knows these things and he thinks you're gonna be okay."

Mr. Mehlor looks at Meryl. Mr. Mehlor knows these things and he thinks Eugene is going to die.

"It hurts!"

"Don't you, Mr. Mehlor? Don't you think Eugene's gonna be okay?" Meryl asks, giving him a look of warning.

"Yeah, Eugene. You're gonna be fine."

"Jesus, I can't stop shivering." Eugene sobs,

Mr. Mehlor moves aside. Meryl puts his arms around Eugene.

"I know you didn't want me to come." Eugene sighs, looking up at Meryl.

"You kidding? We couldn't've done anything without you."

"My dad'll sure be pissed off, huh?" Eugene snorts.

"Your dad'd just want you to lay still while we got you some help."

Hey - hey the pain's goin'. Oh, man. "He looks up at Meryl with relief and grins. "When you said I was gonna be okay, I thought you were just shittin' me."

"See? You gotta trust me." Meryl smiles back.

Eugene's shivering stops. It stops because he's dead.

Meryl slowly lets go.


	8. what are you waiting for?

Clyde and Francine have brought everything into their attic - a TV, some silver and china, bowling trophies. A Coleman lantern lights the room.

Francine asks in a sarcastic way "Well, isn't that just wonderful! Now these bastards are gonna want to kill us, too! Why the hell did you have to come to this house?"

"We thought it was empty." Ianto tried to explain.

"You know what? The house next door is empty. So whaddya say we go back downstairs and you two keep moving?" she demands.

"We are not going to send these people out to the wolves." Clyde argues angrily.

Francine glares at him "Oh, we're not, are we? Then what's your plan, General Schwartzkopf?"

"I - I just don't think –"

"It's okay. I have to go anyway." Jack finally interrupts and They look at him, surprised. "The National Guard'll be at the truck in about fifteen minutes. I'm gonna go wait for them."

"You can't swim that far in fifteen minutes." Francine points out.

"He could take our boat."

"Clyde!"

Clyde says to Jack "I'll go get it ready for you."

"Clyde, he is not taking our boat." Francine splutters with horror. Clyde ignores Francine. He pushes the attic stairs down, heads down them. She grabs the TV snarling to Jack "Here. You want a TV too? How about some china? Maybe our silver? (sets TV down) Clyde! Clyde, you leave the boat where it is!"

Francine heads off down the stairs. Jack starts down the stairs, stops. "Ianto?"

Ianto looks at him as he smiles "I'm Jack."

They shake hands.

"Watch yourself, Jack. I really don't wanna have to save your life again." Ianto smiles as he lets go of Jack's hand reluctantly.

Jack nods and goes down the stairs.

Clyde stands on the roof of the back porch, steadying a small rowboat as Jack gets in. Francine nags from the window.

Francine is shrieking into the wind "You give away our only boat in the

middle of a flood. You are a genius, Clyde. A goddamn genius."

Jack whispers to Clyde "You wanna come with me?"

Clyde looks at Jack, entertaining the notion...

"Jesus, Clyde, what are you waiting for - a kiss goodbye? Get back in here."

Clyde sighs and lets go of the boat. Jack rows off.

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

We see Jack in silhouette, crossing the gap between two houses. Meryl and his men are watching, from the shadows on the dark side of the street.

"Why don't we just get him?" Dean asks.

"If our resourceful young friend hears us coming, he'll electrocute us or sink us or one of you'll shoot him. Besides..." Meryl pauses and glances at his watch "...I know where he's going. What I'd like to know is where he came from."

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

The Sheriff sits in his boat, moored to the wall of sandbags around the church. Andy's boat is tied up next to it. The floodwater is trickling over the top of the wall. The gas-powered pumps inside the wall are keeping the waters at bay.

Andy and Gwen come out of the front doors of the church. Andy calls out "They're not here."

.

.

.

**EXT. ROAD OUT OF TOWN - WELCOME SIGN**

Jack rows up to the truck and "Welcome" sign. His flashlight shows just the top of the truck and sign. Jack looks at his watch, ties the rowboat to the sign, jumps into the water.

A few moments pass, then Jack surfaces, holding a shotgun. Then he senses something behind him and turns to see... a cow floating in the water, tongue out, eyes glassy. He kicks it away, horrified. And then he hears an engine. He looks.

Meryl's ski-boat is coming over the water. The engine cuts out and the ski-boat drifts, a hundred feet from Jack.

Meryl starts yelling "Son, before you go underwater and do something tricky, there's something I'd like you to see!

A flashlight comes on, the beam swivels, illuminating...Clyde and Francine Standing in the ski-boat, blinking in the light.

Jack slumps.

"Now, I know it's your job to protect that money, and maybe you'd even be foolish enough to give your life for it. The question is, are you willing to give their lives for it?" Meryl puts a pistol to Francine's head. "Drop the gun and get into the boat."

Jack thinks for a second, then throws the shotgun away and pulls himself into the rowboat.

"Excellent choice."

As Jack and Meryl call to each other across the water, Francine goes at Clyde.

"I'll take you to the money, but you gotta let them go." Jack s calling out.

Francine snarls at her husband in a low tone "I hope you're proud of yourself, Clyde."

"Shh."

"I think it'd be best if…" Meryl starts to answer Jack.

"I told you not to give him the goddamn boat." She continues to talk.

"Francine, please." Clyde begs as Meryl shoots them a glare.

"I think it'd be best if we all stayed together." Meryl shouts to Jack.

"You say all you want is the money?" Jack demands "Prove it. Let them go."

"I don't know if that's …" Meryl is ready to argue.

Unfortunately Francine likes to argue too "We could be safe in our home instead of out here in a boat with these low-life scumbags!"

After a look at Francine, Meryl nods to Mr. Mehlor "Let 'em go"

.

.

..

The Sheriff, Andy and Gwen motor past the statue. Andy is driving his boat; Gwen is with the Sheriff. The water is up to the General's neck.

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

Jack helps Clyde and Francine over into the rowboat. As he does, his face comes close to Clyde's for a second. He whispers to Clyde "Ianto?"

Clyde shakes his head, whispers "In the attic. They never saw him."

.

.

.

.

Ianto swims down the centre of the street.

**.**

**.**

**.**

Jack is in the ski-boat with Meryl. He looks out at...the other boat as Clyde rows them off into the darkness.

Disappearing in dark Francine can be heard still chastising her poor husband "Faster, Clyde! The bastards might change their minds! Stop lily- dipping and move it!"

Clyde starts to turn the boat around.

"What're you doing?" she asks with confusion.

"I'm gonna row back there and see if he'll shoot you. Or me. Fine either way."

"Clyde...?"

"Do you want me to get us out of here?"

"Yes, of course, I …"

"Then shut the fuck up."

Clyde turns the boat around and rows off. Francine is silent.

Meryl shakes his head. Jack looks at Dean, coughing and at Eugene, dead. Jack doesn't know what to say.

"I..."

"The only thing I want to hear from you is where the money is."

.

.

.

The Sheriff and Andy are motoring fast down a street, the Sheriff leading. The Sheriff sees something in the water in front of him. He curses and throttles down fast.

Ianto is in the water, exhausted and cold.

**.**

**.**

**.**

Meryl pilots the ski-boat into the cemetery. All are aghast.

Caskets are floating in the water. Half of them have drifted up against the fence; the others are headed that way.

"I wonder where they think they're going." Meryl snorts with amusement.

"What the hell's going on?" Dean demands.

Mr. Mehlor explains "This happened in a flood in Georgia. The ground gets soggy, and the caskets are air-tight - anyone who hasn't been planted too long just pops up."

Dean gapes at him "You teach your students stuff like That? No wonder they kicked you out."

"I didn't teach my students anything at all."

Meryl ignores them, turning to Jack "Where is it?"

"It's hard to tell now with the water so deep." Jack shrugs. Meryl cocks the hammer on his pistol. Jack gets the hint. "It's down there a little further."

Meryl nods, gives the engine some juice and they move on.

Jack takes a quick look at his watch.

Meryl sees Jack looking at his watch. Hs shakes his head.

.

.

..

Ianto is in the Sheriff's boat, wearing Gwen's jacket, trying to warm up.

"Jack went off in their rowboat."

Andy says to Gwen "It's Jack now. Looks like you lost out, pal."

"Where was he going?" the sheriff ignores them.

Back to the armoured truck.

.

.

.

Meryl throttles down the ski-boat engine. "Here?"

"Uh... no. A little farther …"

"They're not coming, son.

Jack looks over at Meryl, pretending to be confused. "What?"

"The National Guard." Meryl says slowly "They're not coming."

"I don't …"

"I know you've been trying to stall until they show up, but they're not gonna" Meryl seems actually sad about this.

Jack pauses as he realizes "Oh, God. You intercepted Archie's call, then you called them off."

"No, son, I didn't call them off. They never were coming. We didn't 'intercept' Archie's call. He called us direct."

Jack's look of disbelief shows his devastation.


	9. everyone has a price

Wilbur at the Dam Control Office is on the radio. "I'd love to help you, Sheriff, but I can't leave! If the water goes over the top again it's bye-bye, dam! Bye-bye, town! In fact, I could use a little help up here myself."

The Sheriff is in his boat; Andy is back in his own. The Sheriff is on the radio. "Wilbur, remember when Sean Crane holed up in Jack Finch's barn and said he was gonna burn it down?"

"Hey, I was the one who got the dumb son-of-a-bitch to come out." Wilbur replies.

"Right. And before you went in, I deputized you, you dumb son-of-a-bitch! So when I say get down here, it's not a request, it's an order." Sean roared "So get down here! Now! I won't need you for long. And bring your gun."

**.**

**.**

**..**

Meryl is talking to Jack "We were gonna hit you just before you got on the Interstate, but then you got stuck so we had to change our plans and take you …"

"Bullshit. This is all bullshit."

"I knew Archie when we were both working construction for the Johnstown

company. His middle name was McCarthy because his parents loved Archie

McCarthy on the radio. His wife's name was Mary. She died of a heart-attack last year. He has a daughter and a son, both grown with children of their own. I'm afraid I don't know the names of the grandchildren."

Jack looks down, not wanting to believe.

"What else do I know...? Oh, yes. I know Uncle Archie was trying to steer his favourite nephew away from a life of crime."

Jack suddenly lunges for Meryl. Dean yanks Jack back as Jack ylls with anguish "Why'd you shoot him? Kill Archie and you get to keep another share?"

No, That was an accident. Gene shot him." Meryl eyes Eugene sadly "I never told him Archie was on my side. Gennie liked to talk. He shouldn't've been here. But his dad asked me to watch over him. I guess I didn't do the best job."

"Excuse me, Meryl. I hate to interrupt and all, but could we just get the money and get the hell out of here?" Dean asks softly.

Meryl nods then turns back to Jack "I'm gonna ask you one more time. And before you think of bullshitting me again, keep in mind I have had a very frustrating night. And while I know I'll never get the money if I kill you, it's getting to the point where I just don't care."

Meryl casually aims his gun at Jack.

"I'll tell you where it is. But it's not going to do you any good."

Meryl arches an eyebrow.

"The Guard may not be coming, but someone else sure as hell is."

.

.

.

At the controls of his boat Sean is looking towards the cemetery, moving fast, splattered by rain. Ianto and Gwen are in the back of the boat. Andy is close behind in his boat.

.

.

.

"I'll take my chances." Meryl says calmly.

Jack pauses, looks over to... the crypt. Just the top of it is visible. Two more coffins float nearby.

"There."

Meryl steers the ski-boat over, hands Jack a flashlight. "Well, go get it."

Jack climbs over the edge of the ski-boat and into the water. He turns on the flashlight and drops below the surface.

Dean is eyeing Jack in water "At night we'd go down to the river and into the river we'd dive." Springsteen, "The River." I'm all out of bible quotes."

Jack shines his light on... the crypt One end of a rope is tied to the crypt. The other end, cut and frayed, is suspended in the water, waving in the current.

Meryl watches Jack's light rise. Jack comes up fast, takes a breath. "It's gone."

"What?"

Jack looks smug "Looks like somebody beat you to it."

"Oh for Christsake - I'm gonna shoot him, Meryl."

Dean grabs pistol in his belt. Before he can pull it out, holes puff out of his chest, followed by blood and then the sound of the rifle-shots. Dean tumbles into the water. A half-second later there's... a hail of bullets ripping into the ski-boat, water, trees, crypt.

The Sheriffs bot and Andy's boat are outside the fence, a hundred feet from the crypt. He and Andy and Gwen fire their guns.

Jack ducks underwater.

Meryl pulls his pistol, returns fire.

Mr. Mehlor opens fire with a shotgun, shooting wild, yelling. Then he's hit and knocked out of the boat, dead.

"Stop! You'll hit Jack!" Ianto screams with horror.

The Sheriff stops shooting, yells at the others. "Hold your fire!"

Andy and Gwen stop shooting.

Jack is holding onto a coffin, out of view of the Sheriff. He hears a rush of bubbles and turns as... Meryl comes to the surface, breathing deep.

Meryl's gun comes out of the water fast and the barrel goes to Jack's forehead.

There's an adrenal fire in the Sheriff's eyes. He starts his boat forward, Andy following. Their lights find...No sign of life. Then there's a sound and the lights sweep over to find... Jack and Meryl climbing up on top of the mostly-submerged crypt. Meryl is behind Jack with his gun to Jack's head.

Sean stops his boat. Andy stops, too. They are thirty yards from Meryl and Jack.

A look passes between Jack and Ianto.

Meryl shouts to the Sheriff "Now, sir, I can imagine you'd love nothing more than to shoot me, but I caution you - in order to do that, you're gonna have to shoot through young Jack here."

Sean thinks for a second, then shrugs. "Okay."

He raises his rifle.

Ianto realizes what is about to happen.

Jack and Meryl also clue in, but before they can move... Sean squeezes the trigger as... Ianto hits the gun with his arm.

The rifle fires.

Jack is grazed in the arm by the bullet.

Sean smacks Ianto hard with his rifle and Ianto tumbles out of the boat, unconscious.

Jack and Meryl throw themselves back off the crypt as... Sean and Andy empty their guns in their direction.

Meryl Returns fire, shooting blindly over the top of the crypt.

Gwen Reaches for Ianto, floating limp in the water, but... Andy Is closer. He grabs Ianto and pulls him into his boat, then grins at Gwen.

Jack and Meryl are behind the crypt. Jack holds his bleeding arm. Meryl reloads.

"Well, that was unexpected." Jack pants.

"Is he the one you thought was coming to your rescue?" Meryl laughs hollowly.

No answer from Jack, but the answer is clear.

The Sheriff and Andy reload.

"Anyone mind telling me what the hell is going on?"

The Sheriff, Andy and Gwen turn to see...Wilbur in his boat, right behind them, all dressed up in hunting gear, rifle at the ready.

"Hey, Wilbur. That money I told you about? From the armoured car? We're gonna keep it. Three million dollars. Four ways." Sean says conversationally as he shoots at the crypt "Seven fifty apiece. You okay with that?"

Wilbur is stunned. He doesn't answer.

"Wilbur? You okay with that?"

"Seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars?" Wilbur repeats then takes a beat, grins "Damn straight I'm okay with that."

Andy is grumbling, re: Wilbur "Don't see what we needed him for Sheriff"

"Then I guess you've never been hunting with Wilbur." Sean snorts, then calls to Wilbur "We got two behind that crypt. Get 'em."

Wilbur nods. He motions for Andy to go one way; he'll go the other. They start off. A blind shot comes from Meryl behind the crypt. The Sheriff shoots back.

Gwen finally musters up the courage to say something. "Maybe I'm not okay with it."

"Come on now, Gwen."

"You're gonna kill people?"

"They're looters, Gwen! They come and steal from an armoured truck in our town - they're looters."

"What about Jack? What about Ianto?" she demands "They're not looters."

"No, they're witnesses." The Sheriff fires off a flurry of bullets.

**.**

**.**

Behind the crypt are Jack and Meryl, bullets winging by. Meryl looks over, sees...Wilbur motor into view.

Meryl opens fire.

Wilbur shoots back.

Jack flattens against the crypt, then turns to see...Andy coming into view on the other side.

Jack looks at Meryl, sees he's occupied in the fight with Wilbur. Then he sees...Dean floating in the water, dead, pistol still jammed in his pants.

Jack thinks, decides, and reaches out for Dean.

Meryl is shooting at Wilbur. He hears gunfire from Andy and is about to swivel to shoot in that direction when he hears a gun firing from right next to him. He turns to see... Jack shooting back at Andy with Dean's gun.

Andy Pulls back out of the line of fire.

Wilbur curses and pulls back, too.

Jack and Meryl exchange a look.

"How can you do this?" Gwen asks.

"Jeez, Gwen, I always thought Andy was the stupid one. Read my lips. Three million dollars. Look at it!" The Sheriff reaches down into a forward storage area of the boat and pulls back a tarp revealing the bags of money. "A couple of those bags are gonna be yours, Gwen."

"But - but - you're the Sheriff!"

The Sheriff rips his badge off and throws it away. "I'm the what?"

.

.

Meryl looks at Jack, and then hands Jack his pistol. Jack doesn't know what Meryl's doing. Meryl slips beneath the water.

Wilbur whistles and gets Andy's attention. He motions Andy to try it again.

**.**

**.**

"For twenty years you've been …" Gwen is still arguing.

"For twenty years I've been eating shit, breakfast, lunch and dinner." Sean roars at her with anger "Well, tonight I'm changing the menu! From now on everything I eat is gonna be shit-free!"

**.**

**.**

Jack is looking for Meryl, to see what he's doing. And then...Andy and Wilbur come around on both sides.

Jack starts shooting at them with the two pistols.

Andy and Wilbur pull back. As they go... Jack sees Ianto's arm draped over the side of Andy's boat.

Jack takes another shot at Wilbur but stops firing at Andy.

**.**

**.**

**.**

Meryl's hand appears over the gunwale of the speedboat. He reaches in and grabs... Mr Mehlor's pack and pulls it out of the boat.

**.**

**.**

**.**

Sean is nearing the end of his tether with Gwen "Can I make it any clearer, Gwen? Do you want me to draw pictures?"

Gwen pulls out her revolver and points it at the Sheriff. "I can't let you do it."

"Oh for … Okay, Gwen. But here's how it's gonna go. I'm gonna hear one of two things out of you. Either I'm gonna hear you say you're in with us, or..." moves close to Gwen's gun "...I'm gonna hear a bullet come out of that gun and go into me."

Gwen is incredulous. The Sheriff weighs his hands like scales. "Well now (one hand)Seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars or... (other hand)...you kill me. Your choice."

The Sheriff weighs the hands a couple more times. Gwen slumps, lowers the gun.

"There we go."


	10. missing

Something flies through the air; lands in the water by the Sheriff.

It's... Mr. Mehlor's pack and it starts sinking in the water.

Jack sees Meryl haul himself into the ski-boat.

"In the boat!" Andy shouts and Sean, Andy and Wilbur start shooting at Meryl in the ski-boat.

Meryl sticks the shotgun over the gunwale and returns fire.

Jack starts swimming for the boat.

They see Jack and start shooting at both he and Meryl when...The pack explodes and...the water erupts in a huge geyser.

Sean Andy, Gwen and Wilbur are knocked off their feet. The Sheriff, Gwen and Wilbur are thrown into the water. Their boats are rocked up and back

and swamped with falling water.

Meryl fires up his engine.

Jack is almost to the boat.

Andy gets to his knees in his boat and starts shooting.

Jack gets to Meryl's boat and grabs onto it.

Meryl cranks the throttle, and, dragging Jack, tears off under the hail of Andy's bullets.

As Meryl races through the tombstones, barely missing half submerged stone crosses and crypt roofs. Jack rams into one cross and starts to slip from the boat.

Meryl grabs Jack's hand and holds on as they shoot off across the water.

Those in uniforms get back in the boats.

Meryl hauls Jack into the boat. Jack lies on the bottom, catching his breath. Blood is dripping down from his arm.

Jack, looks up at Meryl "You really want that money?"

Meryl gives Jack a look - of course he wants that money.

"Because the only way you're ever gonna see it is if you help me get Ianto." Jack decides.

Before Meryl can answer, gunshots ring out behind them. They look back to see...the Sheriff and his posse Coming after them in the three boats, shooting, closing.

"We're too slow." Jack calls out.

Meryl thinks, then "Here."

Meryl moves away from the wheel, giving it to Jack. Jack gets up and takes over. Meryl bends and picks up Eugene...Lifeless and limp.

He looks at Eugene for a moment, and then pushes his body overboard.

The Sheriff and his posse are lying over the water. They see a body tumble out of the ski-boat.

Meryl looks back, following Eugene with his eyes.

Meryl and Jack make the turn onto Main Street. They look back as Sean and the others come around the corner, two hundred yards back. Jack stats to grin "They're not going to catch us now."

**THE STATUE**

The sword tip just below the surface. There's a jarring metal on metal clank as the sword tip slams into the propeller.

Meryl and Jack are thrown forward.

Meryl slams head-first into the dash.

The propeller has stopped.

Jack Looks back to see that the outboard motor has almost been ripped from its moorings. "Okay, so maybe they are gonna catch us now."

No answer from Meryl. Jack looks down. Meryl is laying on the deck, unconscious. Just then... BAM! BAM!

**BAM!**

Wilbur has his rifle resting on his boat's windshield and is firing off a clip on auto as he, Andy and the Sheriff close in.

Jack ducks down and tries to start the engine. No go. Again. It catches on the third try. Jack guns it and the boat tears off.

The outboard motor is wobbling, vibrating. Wilbur keeps up his stream of gunfire.

Jack stays down, driving blind, as the bullets fly in, blowing holes in the windshield. He looks at Meryl, at the engine and curses. He steers the boat toward...the church is all lit-up, brilliant white in the darkness, a quarter-mile away.

The water is now over the sandbag wall. The first several feet of the church are flooded.

The Ski-boat comes up fast. Jack grounds it on top of the sandbag wall. Jack hesitates for a half second before grabbing Meryl and pushing him out of the boat and into the water.

Meryl hits the cold water and comes to, sputtering.

Jack grabs guns and ammo and jumps out of the boat and into the water. He lays a rifle on the top of the sandbag wall and fires off a clip.

Meryl's bullets plug into their boats. They circle back.

Jack pushes Meryl, still groggy, into the flooded church.

Jack shuts the door. He piles the weapons on a shelf. He sees Meryl touch his head. "That hurt?"

"Yeah."

"Good."

**.**

**.**

Andy and Wilbur are alongside the Sheriff, engines idling as they look at the church.

Sean nods, to Wilbur "Then go get some bottles."

Wilbur nods, guns his engine.

Gwen turns to Wilbur "Wait - what about the dam?"

"It'll be fine." Sean yells at her.

"You said if it goes it'll wipe out the town."

"Fuck the town."

Wilbur nods in agreement and takes off.

.

.

.

Meryl and Jack are by one of the stained glass windows, looking out through a pale-coloured pane at the Sheriff and his men across the street. They watch Wilbur race off.

"Does he have the boy?" Meryl asks, referring to Ianto.

Jack shakes his head "he's in the small boat."

Jack touches the wound on his head. "Jesus, I'm gonna get hepatitis."

"Hepatitis, hell. You probably already got cholera." Meryl laughs.

Jack gives Meryl a look then starts for the back of the church.

"What're you doing?"

"There's a back room." Jack replies as he touches the wound "Maybe they've got something I can use on this."

"You been in here before?"

"Oh, yeah." Jack grimaces as if something bad is being remembered.

"What happened?"

"I saw Jesus."

.

..

.

Water is starting to go over the top of the dam again. It pours down in sheets over the face of the dam.

**.**

**.**

**.**

Meryl is by the window, looking out at the Sheriff and Andy across the street in the shadows. He turns as Jack...enters from the back. He's got a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a towel. He splashes some of the alcohol on the towel, then touches it to his wound. It hurts like a sonofabitch.

After a beat Jack asks "So, has this all gone pretty much how you thought it would?"

Meryl turns on Jack. "Everything would have gone fine if you'd've just walked away from the truck."

Jack gets angry "Oh, yeah? Well, everything would've gone even better if you hadn't decided to rob the damn truck in the first place!"

Meryl looks away. After another silence Jack sighs and asks in a more level tone "Did Archie have cancer or something?"

"You mean why was he doing this?" Meryl asks, thinks, shrugs "No cancer. Didn't you ever think about taking the money?"

"No."

"Come now. A man who used to make his living fencing hot jackhammers never thought about what he'd do with three million dollars?" Meryl is incredulous.

"Sorry to disappoint you" Jack smiles then asks "What are you gonna do with it?"

"As little as possible."

Silence for a few moments, then Jack says "Belize."

Meryl looks at him.

"It's this small country in Central America, on the Atlantic side."

"I know where Belize is. What about it?"

Jack explains "They speak English and the dollar goes a long way. Beautiful beaches; friendly people. And they've got liberal banking laws. Very liberal."

"No, you didn't think about taking that money at all." Meryl laughs now.

Jack is busted and laughs softly with him "You can't ride in the truck and not think about it."

"I'm sure. And I guess that's pretty much how it started with Archie."

Jack thinks, nods and presses the towel to his wound again.

**.**

**.**

**.**

Andy is thinking about something. He makes a decision and flicks on his engine.

"What're you doing?"

"We got too many bodies with bullets in 'em." He nods at Ianto "I'm gonna put him in his house, make it look like he fell down the stairs and drowned."

"Don't you touch him!" Gwen screams.

"Saving his life... Hmm... You know, that might have actually gotten you laid" Andy laughs at her.

Oh, for Christsakes, just dump him here." Sean demands with annoyance.

"We got a few minutes before Wilbur gets back." Andy argues.

"Just dump him here!"

Andy ignores the Sheriff and motors off.

"Andy! Goddamnit, we've gotta get them outta there! Andy!"

But Andy keeps going.

Jack watches Andy drive off with Ianto.

"Shit. Where's he going?"Jack grabs a rifle, frustrated and angry.

Wilbur motors up to the Sheriff and Gwen. "Where's Andy going?"

"On a date. You all set?"

"Yeah, but…" Wilbur is confused.

"Then let's go."

"Aren't we gonna wait for Andy?"

"We can get started without him, the dumb shit. He won't be long. Besides, we got Gwen. Gwen's gonna earn her money on this, aren't you Gwen?"

Gwen looks scared shitless.


	11. wham bam thank you... for nothing

Water continues to pour over the top of the Dam. Chunks of cement are starting to wash away.

**.**

**.**

**.**

Jack finishes reloading a gun.

"What - you're gonna swim after him?" Meryl asks.

Jack doesn't answer. He moves toward the front door. Meryl cuts him off. "You ain't gonna help him by getting shot. He's gone and you don't know where."

"The Sheriff knows. I think maybe I'll go ask him."

"You'll be dead before you get over the sandbags. Look, he'll be coming for us. You can ask him then." Meryl sees something out the window.

"What if he doesn't come?"

"I wouldn't worry about that." Meryl snorts and Jack sees what Meryl sees.

The Sheriff, Gwen and Wilbur are heading toward the church, flaming Molotov cocktails in their hands.

The Sheriff, Gwen and Wilbur heave the flaming Molotov cocktails. The bottles hit the roof, explode. Sheets of fire rain down the roof.

One bottle smashes through a window.

Jack and Meryl duck down as the bottle flies across the inside of the church and smashes against a wall, sending sheets of fire down the wall.

The roof is on fire.

**.**

**.**

**.**

A modest, two-story, on a side street is Ianto's place. The front door is open; the boat tied up outside. There's a light on in the front hall.

Ianto is unconscious. Andy has him lying on the stairs leading up from the entry area to the second floor. There's three feet of water in the house. Ianto's legs are in the water. His hands are handcuffed to a railing attached to the wall, running up the stairs. Andy stands over Ianto, pats his face.

"Wakey-wakey."

Ianto stirs, then starts slipping back into unconsciousness, so Andy splashes his face with water. Ianto comes to, sputtering. His eyes focus. He looks up at Andy. Andy grins.

"Dear Penthouse: I always thought your letters were fake, until the wildest thing happened to me. I'm a policeman in a small town. In the middle of the big flood last year, I was patrolling the streets in a boat, feeling kind of sorry for myself - 'cause it was my birthday and all - when I saw the front door to a house was open. I pulled my gun - afraid it might be looters. Imagine my surprise when, instead of a looter, I find a young man handcuffed to the railing of his stairs. His name was Ianto, and ever since he came back from college he'd made it clear he was too good for any of us local folk. I heard stories of him and his black whore girlfriend ... and his male lover before her … now here he was, in handcuffs! I said, "What the heck is going on here, Sir?" And he said..." Ianto says nothing. Andy leans in close. "And he said..."

"Sorry, Andy, but I'm not playing a part in your sick little play."

Andy pulls his gun, puts it to Ianto's head. "You're perfect for the role. I suggest you reconsider."

"Or what? You'll kill me? You're gonna do that anyway" Ianto snarls.

"I might get clumsy. It might take a while." Andy leers "you are my first bum fuck after all."

"I'm sure you can hurt me. But it's all going to be the same when I'm dead."

Andy straightens up, looks at him, and then launches back into it. "And he said, "Happy Birthday, Andy. I've got something for you." Well, I'm not stupid. I knew what he wanted to give me and I knew he wanted to give it bad, so I …"

The overhead light sparks and goes out.

Andy looks up at the light "That won't do. Man's gotta see what he's doing. 'Scuse me."

Andy heads off for the kitchen. The second he's gone... Ianto raises his hips and digs a hand into his pocket and pulls out his Swiss Army knife. He pries open the big blade. He hears Andy sloshing back toward him. He gets back into the position Andy left him in as Andy re-enters carrying two burning candles in candle-holders.

"I got the candles. All's we need is a cake." He sets the candles down on a dry step above Ianto's head. He leans in close.

"Mood lighting. You in the mood yet?" no answer from Ianto; back into Penthouse letter "And then he said, "My present's ready and waiting. All's you gotta do is unwrap it."

Andy reaches into the water, undoes Ianto's rain pants, yanks off his shoes, and then pulls off his pants. He throws them over the banister. Ianto remains passive, blank. Andy takes off his holster; hangs it on the banister. Then he pushes his pants down to his ankles. His shirttail is long enough so that we don't have to see his wretched little pecker.

He climbs on top of Ianto in the water, brings his face close to his. "It was cold and rainy that birthday night, and all I wanted was to get someplace warm and dry. As it turned out, what I really wanted was something warm and wet. Andy grins and closes for a kiss and..."

Ianto moves fast with the knife and...Andy's eyes pop open wide. His head jerks back. He tries to shout, but all that comes out is an awful gurgle. He tries to push off Ianto, but... Ianto wraps his legs around him, holds him close, pinning him. The knife in his eye socket.

Andy finally breaks free. He tries to stop the bleeding with a hand, but the blood spurts through his fingers. He reaches for his gun in his holster on the banister, but just as he grabs it...Ianto lashes out of the water with his legs, kicking Andy in the groin, pushing him back.

Andy tries to get his balance, but his feet can't move - his pants are around his ankles. He falls back into the water, firing his pistol.

Bullets blow chunks out of the wall next to Ianto, hit the ceiling and Andy is floating on his back, trying to lift the pistol, but his strength is fading fast. He gets off one last shot and...The candle nearest Ianto is blown to pieces.

The gun drops into the water. No more shots. No more life. He floats, pants around his ankles, covered in blood, dead.

"Happy Birthday, Andy."

.

.

.

The church roof is on fire.

The Sheriff and his posse are across the street.

.

.

Meryl and Jack hear a creaking and look up.

The fire has eaten holes in the roof. Embers come down.

.

.

The Sheriff is getting very agitated. "They're not coming out, Wilbur!

"The fire's not catching." Wilbur replies "The rain's too…"

"We have to get them! We have to kill them! Do you understand?" Sean roars with rage "If they're not dead, we got jack shit!"

**.**

**..**

**.**

A small chunk of burning ceiling drops down. Meryl and Jack

look up. Just then...bright light floods into the church through the stained glass windows filling the church with a kaleidoscope of colors.

Jack and Meryl look out the windows. Jack whispers "My God they're beautiful."

The Stained Glass Windows remain beautiful for a few more seconds until they shatter and blow inwards as Sean and Wilbur's boats come crashing through.

The boats land, stop fast. The Sheriff's boat lands closer to the pulpit; Wilbur's boat closer to the balcony.

They look around. It's quiet for a moment. There's no sign of Jack and Meryl.

**.**

**.**

**.**

Ianto has his pants back on. He reaches out with one foot and hooks Andy's holster off the banister. He flips it through the air and catches it with his hands. He opens little leather pockets - mace, more bullets. No keys. Ianto starts to panic.

There has to be keys. There he sees Andy still floating on his back, still dead. He looks closer at Andy's pants bunched around his ankles. And there, hanging from a belt-loop is a ring of keys.

Reaches out with his foot for Andy's pants. he can't reach. Andy is slowly drifting out the open door. Beyond the door, in light of the streetlamp, the water is riffling, moving, and Andy is heading toward it.

Ianto slides down further on the stairs, into the water, then stops.

There are metal supports going from the railing to the wall, every three feet. Ianto is prevented from going any further down the stairs by one of these supports. Ianto reaches out with a foot, straining, stretching his body, almost dislocating his shoulder and his foot just barely touches one of Andy's feet, but then Andy's foot slips away and...Ianto can only watch as...Andy's body drifts out the door and is pulled away by the current.

**.**

**.**

**.**

Water is cascading over the top of the dam. Chunks of concrete are washing away.

.

.

.

The Sheriff, Gwen and Andy scan the water, looking for movement.

"Where are they?! Jesus!" Sean hisses.

Looking up through a tangle of floating pews at the wavering silhouettes of the boats and the men in them against the burning timbers above.

Two pistols come into view, pointed up through the water.

The Sheriff, Gwen and Wilbur have let down their guard for a second when there's a series of dull, muted clacks from underwater as bullets come streaking out of the water, winging by them, plugging into the boats.

Meryl fires the pistols underwater, the bullets' bubble streaks knifing up through the water.

Sean, Gwen and Wilbur hit the deck in their boats, returning fire over the gunwales.

Jack surfaces over by the stairs up to the balcony, gasping for air. He runs for the stairs.

Blazing timbers start to fall from the burning roof frame, hitting the water with loud sizzling hisses.

The posse turn to shoot at Jack through the dropping flaming debris.

Jack disappears up the stairs, the bullets just missing him.

Meryl runs out of bullets. He's long since run out of air. He drops his guns and swims under the pews.

Wilbur Looks up, realizing that Jack will be able to shoot down on him. He reverses his boat fast under the balcony as Jack Shoots down from the balcony, blowing a chunk out of the bow of Wilbur's boat.

**.**

**.**

**.**

The water is up to Ianto's chin. His hands are working frantically beneath the water.

He's using the tip of the knife blade underwater to unscrew the screws holding the support to the railing. He's on the last one. The blade slips, misses, gets a quarter turn, another quarter Turn … Ianto spits out the water that spills into his mouth.

Another quarter-turn and the screw is loose enough to turn by hand.

Holds his breath with the water touching his nose. He gets the screw loose, pulls up on the railing and pulls the handcuff through the gap between the support and the railing.

**.**

**.**

**.**

The Sheriff turns to Gwen and nods re: Meryl. "You take care of him!"

The Sheriff aims at the balcony as Gwen scans the water, looking for Meryl.

Meryl pulls an electrical cord out of a wall socket.

Jack ducks down as the Sheriff's bullets start plugging through the wood front of the balcony. Jack moves away from the bullet strikes, splashing through the water in the balcony.

BANG BANG BANG - bullets start shooting up from below.

Wilbur is firing up at Jack through the floor of the balcony.

Jack jumps back, startled, looking down at the floor as holes explode in the floor, sending up small geysers of water. The water then starts whirl pooling down through the holes.

Jack moves back from Wilbur's advancing bullet holes.

Sean keeps firing.

Jack is caught between Wilbur's bullets and the Sheriff's bullets.

So he racks a load in the shotgun and dives backwards off the balcony.


	12. it is all going down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> chap 10 had not posted, fixed now

Wilbur is still shooting up as Jack arcs off the balcony, firing the shotgun under the balcony at Wilbur.

Wilbur dives to the floor of his boat as Jack's shotgun blasts blow plate-sized holes in the church doors.

Jack lands in the water and goes under.

Sean and Gwen look for Jack in the water.

Wilbur starts to get up from the bottom of his boat, searching for a clip for his gun.

Sean sees Jack's shape in the water and is about to shoot when Meryl jumps up out of the water with the electrical cord. He tosses a loop of the cord around the Sheriff's neck and pulls, yanking the Sheriff out of the boat.

Jack comes out of the water, aiming his shotgun at Gwen who is aiming her pistol at Jack. Gwen freezes.

Sean and Meryl struggle in the water. Meryl pulls the cord tightly around the Sheriff's neck as the Sheriff tries to get a shot off at Meryl … he can't get the barrel pointed at Meryl.

Wilbur fumbles with the bullet clip.

Wilbur shouts to Gwen "Kill him!"

Jack turns his shotgun on Wilbur and pulls the trigger - click. Uh-oh.

"Kill him ya thick bitch!" Wilbur repeats angrily.

Jack and Gwen exchange a look.

Wilbur slams the clip into his gun and levels it at Jack. Gwen points her gun at Wilbur. "No! We can't …"

BANG! and Wilbur shoots Gwen. Gwen pitches back out of the Sheriff's boat.

Gwen lands between Meryl and the Sheriff, knocking them apart.

Sean is free of Meryl's grasp. He shakes off the electrical cord and turns to shoot Meryl who moves a little faster. He grabs Gwen's pistol and puts it to the Sheriff's head before the Sheriff can bring his gun around.

Wilbur draws a bead on Meryl and is about to shoot when Jack Comes out of the water on the other side of Wilbur's boat. Jack pushes down hard on the side of the boat.

Wilbur is rocked back, thrown off balance. He starts to spin and bring his gun around when Jack swings with the shotgun, catching Wilbur in the side of the head. Wilbur crumples and falls into the water, taking his rifle with him.

Meryl nods at the Sheriff's rifle. "In the boat."

Sean hesitates, and then tosses his rifle into the boat.

Jack grabs Wilbur's rifle and aims it at the Sheriff. "Where's Ianto?"

.

.

.

Ianto undoes a last screw in a metal support.

He pulls the handcuff through the gap between the support and railing. He's at the top of the stairs. The railing curves and goes into the wall.

Tugs at the railing, tries rocking it up and down. It doesn't budge. He starts chipping at the plaster with the knife.

"God, I am really beginning to hate fine craftsmanship."

The water is up to his chest.

.

.

.

The Sheriff hesitates.

"Where is he?"

"They went back to his house."

Where's his house?"

"It's …"And just then they all hear something truly ominous - a siren pierces the night.

**.**

**.**

Ianto reacts to the siren "uh-oh."

**.**

**..**

The siren wails.

"What in God's name is that?" Meryl shouts.

"Wilbur?" Sean shouts at his friend.

Wilbur is woozy but okay as he answers "It's topped out."

Sean gapes "How much time we got?"

"How should I know?"

"Guess!"

"It's an old dam!" Wilbur shrugs "Not long."

Sean says to Jack "Then I'd say you boys better drop your guns."

What?

"That's the deal! You let me and Wilbur go - with a few of these bags - and I'll tell you where to find Ianto."

Meryl snarls to the Sheriff "Get out of the boat."

"Hold on." Jack begs.

Meryl turns to look at Jack.

"Hold on?"

"It's the only way you're gonna find him!" Sean sing-songs.

"It's only a couple of bags." Jack points ont.

"No."

"But I thought…"

"Look, I don't know what you thought but I told you, I'm here for the money; that's all."

Jack doesn't know what to do. The Sheriff looks pretty pleased with himself. He might just get out of this. And then...

"He lives on Boyd Street." They all look over at Gwen. Alive, but barely. "Three over. Two-story, blue shutters."

Jack looks at Meryl, disappointed, angry, then hurries to Wilbur's boat.

Meryl climbs into the Sheriff's boat.

Jack climbs into Wilbur's boat. He starts the engine, looks down at Gwen floating in the water, dying. A brief look between them, then Jack drives the boat out through a shattered window.

Meryl pushes the Sheriff out of the boat.

**.**

**.**

**.**

A large V is being cut in the top of the dam by the raging water.

Looking back at the dam. The line of lights on top of the dam start to fall over, then go dark, snuffed out by an unseen force.

.

.

.

Meryl keeps his gun levelled at the Sheriff and Wilbur, standing in the water, as he pulls the money bags up from the forward hold.

"So, you just gonna kill me?" Sean asks.

"Lord knows I should."Meryl opens a money bag and smiles at what he sees.

.

.

.

.

Ianto tilts his head back to keep his lips and nose above water. And then he hears a window smash. He turns as Jack wades in along the upper hall.

"I'm guessing you can't get up."

"I'm handcuffed."

Jack reaches into the water for the railing.

"The railing's bolted to the wall." Ianto offers.

Jack looks at him.

"I've got a saw."

"Where?" Jack barks with alarm as the water rises more.

"In the kitchen. In the tall cupboard beside the …" and then they hear a sound more ominous than the siren - they hear the siren stop.

"Is that good or bad?" Jack moans.

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

Meryl, the Sheriff and Wilbur react to the silence. Meryl looks off. Sean drops underwater. Meryl turns back at the sound of the Sheriff going under.

The Sheriff pulls up his pant leg. Is aiming his gun at the water and is about to fire as the Sheriff's hand comes out of the water shooting a pistol.

Meryl is shot in the gut and the thigh and high on the chest and he stumbles back, bellowing, and falls out of the Sheriff's boat and into the water.

"You should've just killed me."

.

.

.

"You gotta go!" Ianto calls out as Jack decides to go for the saw. Jack starts hyperventilating.

"The dam's gone! You gotta go!" Ianto demands with alarm.

Jack shakes his head "I owe you one."

Jack breathes deep then ducks underwater. Jack flicks on his flashlight and starts swimming down the stairs. Ianto watches Jack and his light get swallowed up in the murky water.

.

.

.

The Sheriff's boat comes onto Main Street, moving fast.

Wilbur is looking back, in the direction the flood will come. "We gotta go faster!"

"Yeah, you're right." The Sheriff pushes Wilbur out of the boat.

Goes skipping over the water and slams into a streetlight post.

.

.

.

Jack swims down into the living room. His light shows a couch, chairs, TV set. Books and newspapers are suspended in the water.

.

.

.

The damaged ski-boat that Meryl and Jack took to the church has slipped off the sandbag wall and is drifting. A peaceful scene. But then, from the distance, comes a rushing roar.

Gwen hears the roar in the church. She looks around, lost. Near death. Kinda relieved.

.

.

.

Wilbur, groggy in the water, also hears the distant roar.

**.**

**.**

**.**

The roar is building, getting louder. Gwen sees something in the water and reaches for it, frantically. She gets it. It's... **A BIBLE a** nd she clutches it to her chest as...the water Hits the church.

Blackness descends.


	13. and that's a wrap

Jack swims into the kitchen. He looks for the tall cupboard by the fridge. He opens it.

Hanging on a hook on the back wall is a saw. Jack grabs it.

**.**

**.**

Wilbur unwraps himself from around the lamp post. He looks back.

Streetlights in the distance, winking out one by one, marking the advance of the wall of water.

"Oh my God."

Wilbur looks around for safety. He sees it. There's an alleyway. Wilbur swims for the alley.

The advancing flood roars through the town, pushing a rolling wave of debris, obliterating anything in its path.

Wilbur swims into the alley. Wilbur looks for something to climb

up on, to hold onto. There's a fire escape ladder at the end of the alley.

He swims for it. He hears the rushing roar of the advancing flood. He expects the flood to blow by the end of the alley.

Wrong.

A wall of water comes into the alley, banking high on the far wall before coming down and barrelling toward Wilbur. And what makes it worse for Wilbur is that there's a car at the front of the wave, being pushed by the water.

Wilbur dives clear just as the car smashes into the wall, right where Wilbur had just been. Relief in his eyes. He gets to the fire escape and is climbing to safety when... a **PROPANE TANK** Comes into the alley, rolling in the flood, spilling propane from a torn hose. It explodes.

Wilbur barely has time to scream.

.

.

.

Jack is threading his belt through the handle of the saw to secure it. He gets it done and starts to swim out of the kitchen.

Just Ianto's lips and nose are above water.

Jack is about to leave when everything starts to move … rocking, from side to side, as if in a slow motion earthquake. Cupboards and the fridge open and bottles and food and plates tumble out.

The house has been hit by the flood. It's being pulled by the massive current, stretching overhead phone and power lines.

Ianto hears the groaning, ripping as the house tears free from water and sewer lines. He's looking down for Jack when there's a snap and the light above him goes out.

The house is carried on the current, turning in the water.

Jack watches, astounded, as the room starts to turn around him. He kicks fast for the door to the living room. Jack swims in, fast, toward the stairs when a window caves in and a huge tree branch smashes in, filling the room, blocking Jack's route to the stairs.

Jack tries to get through the tangle of branches and leaves, but can't. He swims over to another window and slides it up.

Ianto keeps looking down for Jack.

The house is impaled on a tree, the current sluicing around it.

Jack surfaces near the side of the house, gasping. The current starts ripping him past the house. He swims as hard as he can back to the house, reaches out and grabs onto a gutter.

Ianto doesn't have much time left. The water is washing over his mouth and nose. And just as he's about to go under Jack swims in with the saw. He starts sawing on the handrail.

Everything's going fine. And then the saw blade ... Snaps.

They look at each other. Oh no. Ianto's going under.

Jack sees something. He dives into the water.

Can only watch and wait. What's he doing? Oh, Jesus. And then Jack surfaces, holding Andy's pistol. He puts the mouth of the barrel to the handcuff chain, shields Ianto's face, looks away and pulls the trigger.

**.**

**.**

**.**

The water swirls through the branches of a half-submerged tree.

Clyde and Francine are in the tree. Clyde is either unconscious or dead. Francine cradles him.

"Come on, Clyde. Forget that "Go to the light" crap. Come back to me. You're all I've got."

And Clyde starts to come to.

"Oh, Clyde. Thank God."

Clyde opens his eyes. "Next time, when I say "Let's evacuate," we're gonna evacuate."

"Whatever you say, honey." She hugs him tight and after a beat he hugs her back.

**.**

**.**

**.**

Jack and Ianto swim out of a second floor window, grab the rain gutter. Jack pulls himself onto the roof then grabs Ianto and helps him up. They crawl until they're clear of the edge. Only the sloped roof of the house is visible in the swirling water. They are just catching their breath when they are hit by a bright white light aand they look to see Sheriff Sean in his boat, shining a searchlight on them with one hand, a gun in the other. He starts shooting.

Jack pushes Ianto toward the peak of the roof as the bullets plug in around them. Jack pushes Ianto over the top then turns and dives off the roof and into the water.

Ianto hears an engine behind him and turns.

A boat is racing toward the house. It's the ski-boat and at the controls is Meryl barely alive. The outboard motor is wobbling, vibrating at the back of the boat, almost loose from its moorings.

He sees Ianto, crouched below the peak of the house, a bright light coming from the other side along with gunshots.

Meryl pushes the throttle all the way forward. The ski-boat shoots forward.

Jack swims hard toward the Sheriff's boat.

Sean is shooting down into the water at Jack's moving shape.

The ski-boat with Meryl at the wheel, comes racing straight toward the house.

Ianto thinks he's going to turn. "No! No!"

He doesn't turn.

Ianto rolls to the side, just getting clear as the ski-boat hits the sloping roof of Ianto's house and ramps up it. The outboard motor digs into the shingles of the roof and tears free from the back of the boat.

Sean hears the sound and looks up as the ski-boat comes over the peak of the roof.

Surfaces to see the ski-boat fly right over him, heading straight for Sheriff Sean who ducks down, just in time as the boat misses him, landing just past him in the water.

Sean straightens up, grinning with glee that the boat missed him. And then he hears a piercing whine coming from behind him. He turns, just in time to see the outboard motor flipping end over end, propeller whirring, heading straight for him.

He starts to scream.

Looking over the peak of the roof in horror. Ianto hears the Sheriff's scream and the scream of the propeller and then a horrible ugly ripping and both screams stop.

The Sheriff is gone. The side has been smashed out of the boat and the boat is flooding with water.

Sean is just some misshapen thing trailing red, floating in the water.

Meryl tries to restart the ski-boat but it's dead. He slumps forward.

Jack sees Meryl slump against the side of the boat. "You okay?"

"Fine."

Jack can tell Meryl's anything but. Jack swims for the boat. Jack swims up, pulls himself in. He pulls Meryl back off the controls, sees the blood. "Oh, God. We gotta get you to…"

Meryl looks at Jack. Jack understands - Meryl's not going anywhere.

"Thanks."

"For what?" Meryl asks.

"You just saved our lives."

"I did? I just came for the money."

Jack looks at Meryl - he knows Meryl's lying. Ianto calls out "Do you need any help?"

Meryl grabs Jack's arm "No. Tell him to stay back."

Jack calls back to Ianto "It's okay!

Meryl lets go of Jack. "You're going to turn it in?"

"Sorry to disappoint you."

"Well, hell, then I guess I better take it after all. I figure the river'll carry me down to the Gulf of Mexico. If I catch the right currents, maybe I'll end up in... Belize?" Meryl coughs as Jack nods "You come look me up. I'll buy you a drink."

"I'll do that."

Meryl grimaces as he's hit by a wave of pain. He looks away.

"Go." Meryl whispers to Jack who is glancing over at Ianto who is clutching the roof with open fear "Go to him."

Jack hesitates for a second.

"Please."

Jack turns and slides into the water to swim away.

"Son, don't think too badly of your Uncle Archie. He always said you were capable of remarkable things." Meryl says softly "He was right."

There's a last look between Meryl and Jack, then Jack swims away.

"The rain's stopped." Meryl sighs and breathes deep "The air after a rain..."

Meryl slowly topples forward and is still.

Jack swims through the swirling current toward Ianto's roof.

Meryl's boat sinks below the surface and is gone.

Ianto is down at the water's edge with his arm extended to Jack. Jack grabs it, and as Ianto pulls... their kiss warm in the cold water.

.

.

..

**EPILOGUE**

Ianto pulls Jack up onto scaffolding running along the edge of the new church roof under construction. Jack holds a paper bag.

He's wearing work gear - tool belt, work boots, etc. Jack looks at the work being done on the roof. "They got a lot done today."

"It's coming along." Ianto agrees then points at the bag "What'd you get?"

"Barbecue chicken from Francine's."

"Yum."

"You want some? I wish you'd told me." Jack pulls a face "I would'a got more."

"Ha ha." Ianto rolls his eyes knowing full well Francine packed for two, as always.

And as they sit down and start to eat, Jack talking through his food in a way Ianto is slowly getting used to "I talked to Danny. He says the flooring should be in by Friday."

"That's what he said last week".

"I said if it wasn't here by Friday at six that you were going to go over and beat the crap out of him."

"And I will." Ianto nods seriously as Jack opens his soda for him.

**THE END**


End file.
